The Improvement Era

President Joseph Fielding Smith— Tenth President of the Church

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On the Cover:

A portrait of President Joseph Fielding
Smith, tenth President of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is
featured on our cover this month.
President Smith, almost a legendary
figure in the Church because of his
voluminous contributions in explaining
and elucidating Church doctrine and
because of his highly popular book
Essentials in Church History, was or-
dained and set apart as President of
the Church on January 23. For the in-
information of our readers, the days
and dates on which the previous nine
Presidents of the Church were sustained
are as follows:

Joseph Smith, Jr., sustained as First
Elder on Tuesday, April 6, 1830, and
sustained as President of the High
Priesthood on Wednesday, January 25,
1832; Brigham Young, sustained as
President of the Church, Monday, De-
cember 27, 1847; John Taylor, Sunday,
October 10, 1880; Wilford Woodruff,
Sunday, April 7, 1889; Lorenzo Snow,
Tuesday, September 13, 1898; Joseph
F. Smith, Thursday, October 17, 1901;
Heber J. Grant, Saturday, November 23,
1918; George Albert Smith, Monday,
May 21, 1945; David 0. McKay, Mon-
day, April 9, 1951. (See announcement
of the new First Presidency, page 4.
The cover photograph is by Ralph
Clark.)

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor

Wilford Woodruff Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith

Heber J. Grant George Albert Smith David 0. McKay

The Voice of the Church • February 1970 • Volume 73, Number 2

Special Features

2 President Joseph Fielding Smith Becomes Tenth President of the
Church

6 The Editor's Page: The Greatest Responsibility — the Greatest Honor,

President David 0. McKay

8 David 0. McKay, 1873-1970, Jay M. Todd and Albert L. Zobell, Jr.

20 Tributes and Messages of Sympathy

24 Memories of a Prophet

25 A Prayer for a Prophet, Simply, Dennis Drake

26 Poems of Love

40 The Cost of Alcohol

56 Presiding Bishopric's Page: The New Tithing and Donation Recording
Procedures, Bishop John H. Vandenberg

74 In Puketapu, Elwin W. Jensen

75 "Welcome into the Kingdom," Ron Woods

76 A Night to Remember, Derek Dixon

77 Thoughts on President David O. McKay, S. Dilworth Young

78 The Poetry of David O. McKay

80 A Man and His Message, Neil J. Flinders and Jay R. Lowe

84 The Words of a Prophet

87 "One Who Loved His Fellowmen," President Joseph Fielding Smith

88 "God Makes a Giant Among Men," Elder Hugh B. Brown

91 "A True Exemplar of the Life of Christ," President N. Eldon Tanner
93 "He Lighted the Lamps of Faith," President Harold B. Lee

Regular Features

28 LDS Scene

30 Research & Review: Of Drugs, Drinks and Morals, Dr. Elliott D. Landau

32 Lest We Forget: The Wilford Woodruff Journals, Albert L. Zobell, Jr.

34 Teaching: The Bull's Eye, Seth D. Redford

38 Genealogy: How to Get a Going Family Organization Going, Bill R.
Linder

59 Today's Family: The Supermarket of the Future, Carolyn Dunn

62 Buffs and Rebuffs

65 The Church Moves On

66 These Times: The 1970s, Dr. G. Homer Durham

70 Melchizedek Priesthood Page: Letter of the First Presidency Clarifies

Church's Position on the Negro
96 End of an Era
29, 33, 37, 61

The Spoken Word, Richard L. Evans

41-55 Era Of Youth Marion D. Hanks and Elaine Cannon, Editors

Poetry

25, 26, 27, 57, 62, 77

David 0. McKay, Richard L. Evans, Editors; Doyle L. Green, Managing Editor; Jay M. Todd, Assistant Managing Editor; Eleanor
Knowles, Copy Editor; Mabel Jones Gabbott, Manuscript Editor; Albert L. Zobell, Jr., Research Editor; William T. Sykes, Editorial
Associate; G. Homer Durham, Hugh Nibley, Albert L. Payne, Truman G. Madsen, Elliott Landau, Leonard Arrington, Contributing
Editors; Marion D. Hanks, Era of Youth Editor; Elaine Cannon, Era of Youth Associate Editor; Ralph Reynolds, Art Director; Norman
Price, Staff Artist.

W. Jay Eldredge, General Manager; Florence S. Jacobsen, Associate General Manager; Verl F. Scott, Business Manager; A. Glen
Snarr, Circulation Manager; S. Glenn Smith, Advertising Representative.

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published by the Mutual Improvement Associations. All rights reserved.

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The Improvement Era, 79 South State, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111

The new First Presidency
at a press conference,
January 23, the day
they were set apart in
their new callings: left,
President Joseph Field-
ing Smith; center, Presi-
dent N. Eldon Tanner,
second counselor; right,
President Harold B. Lee,
first counselor. Pictures
of the First Presidency
were taken at the press
conference also.

President Joseph Fielding
Smith Becomes Tenth
President of the Church

Elders Harold B. Lee and

N. Eldon Tanner

Called to First Presidency

• On Friday morning, January 23, 1970, in the council
room of the Salt Lake Temple, President Joseph
Fielding Smith was ordained and set apart as the tenth
President and prophet, seer, and revelator of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The
Council of the Twelve, governing body of the Church
at the death of a Prophet, ordained and set apart
President Smith, with Elder Harold B. Lee as voice.
This action followed by five days the death of Presi-
dent David O. McKay (see page 8) on Sunday,
January 18, 1970.

President Smith selected and set apart as his coun-

selors in the First Presidency Harold B. Lee, first
counselor, and N. Eldon Tanner, second counselor.

President Lee, second to President Smith in seniority
in the Council of the Twelve, was set apart as president
of the Council of the Twelve by President Smith, with
Elder Spencer W. Kimball, next in seniority to Presi-
dent Lee, being set apart as acting president of the
Council of the Twelve by President Lee.

Elder Hugh B. Brown, formerly first counselor
in the First Presidency under President McKay, re-
sumed his calling in the Council of the Twelve, with
seniority following Elder Richard L. Evans and pre-
ceding Elder Howard W. Hunter.

The ordination of President Smith as President of
the Church leaves a vacancy in the Council of the
Twelve, which is expected to be filled in April at the
general conference of the Church.

Elder Thorpe B. Isaacson, formerly a counselor
to the First Presidency under President McKay, re-
sumed his position as an Assistant to the Council of
the Twelve, with seniority following Elder Theodore
M. Burton and preceding Elder Boyd K. Packer.

Elder Alvin R. Dyer, also formerly a counselor
to the First Presidency under President McKay, re-
sumed his position as an Assistant to the Council of
the Twelve, with seniority following Elder Henry D.
Taylor and preceding Elder Franklin D. Richards .

President Joseph Fielding Smith is called to the
presidency after nearly 60 years as an apostle of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He was ordained to the apostle-
ship April 7, 1910, by his father, President Joseph F.
Smith, then the sixth President of the Church. He has
been president of the Council of the Twelve since
April 9, 1951, and a counselor to the First Presidency
under President David O. McKay since October 1965.

President Smith, a grandson of Hyrum Smith, who
was Patriarch to the Church and fellow martyr with
his brother the Prophet Joseph Smith at Carthage,
Illinois, in 1844, is the third person with the name
Joseph Smith to be President of the Church.

He has been identified also with the Church His-
torian's Office since 1901, when he began working

there following his mission to Great Britain. In 1906,
he was sustained as Assistant Church Historian, and
in 1921, as Church Historian, a position he has held
since then.

President Smith has made consistent contributions
to the body of Church literature by his many writings
on Church doctrine and Church history.

He is a much beloved leader who, through a life-
time of devotion to the principles of the gospel, has
been described by members of the Council of the
Twelve as truly a just and righteous man. Members
of the Church look forward to his inspired leadership.

President Lee was set apart to the apostleship on
April 10, 1941, after having served as managing direc-
tor of the Church's Welfare Program. Since that
time, he has carried the many and varied responsi-
bilities incident to membership in the Council of
the Twelve, with wide experience in the Welfare
Program, Church business, and, of late, the entire
Church Correlation Program, of which he has been
chairman of the executive committee. He is a respected
theologian and a man of great spiritual reserves, and
is well qualified to carry the great burdens that press
upon the First Presidency.

President Tanner has been a member of the General
Authorities since 1960, when he was called to be an
Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. Two years
later he was sustained a member of the Council of the
Twelve, and a year later as second counselor to Presi-
dent David O. McKay in the First Presidency. He has
spent most of his life in Canada, where he was min-
ister of lands in the Province of Alberta before being
named president of a Canadian oil company. His ad-
ministrative acumen has been well used in the First
Presidency as have his great qualities of fairness, in-
tegrity, and decency, which have won friends for the
Church in many walks of life.

Elder Kimball was ordained an apostle October 7,
1943, after having served as a stake president in
Arizona. In recent years he has carried increasing re-
sponsibilities, particularly as chairman of the appropria-
tions committee of the Church and as chairman of the
Indian Affairs Committee, where he has directed the
widely acclaimed Church Indian program. Elder
Kimball's conference addresses and writings have
been admired for many years.

Since Sunday, January 25, 1970, members meeting
in stake conferences throughout the Church have been
sustaining the new prophet, seer, and revelator, and
the new First Presidency. The general membership
and all officers and leaders of the Church will have
the opportunity of sustaining these admired and re-
spected fellow-brethren in April at the 140th annual
general conference of the Church. O

Era, February 1970 3

Photo by Lignell & Gill

President Harold B. Lee

First Counselor in the First Presidency

President N. Eldon Tanner
Second Counselor in the First Presidency

Photo by William Beal

The tone and intimation of things to come during the 19 years
of President David 0. McKay's administration were set in his first
address as President of the Church. This address was delivered at
the solemn assembly held Monday morning, April 9, 1951, in the
Tabernacle immediately following his being sustained by those
present as the ninth President, prophet, seer, and revelator of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Persons present at
the time have remarked, "Who could forget the majestic and all-
encompassing humility of the occasion, his several moments of
silent, free-flowing tears as he commanded all his personal will
to control his deeply felt emotions? It was an occasion and a speech
that can never be forgotten!" The Era is pleased to present this
inspiring speech as the Editor's Page this month.

The Greatest Responsibility -
The Greatest Honor

By President David 0. McKay

• My beloved fellow workers,
brethren and sisters: I wish it
were within my power of expres-
sion to let you know what my
true feelings are on this mo-
mentous occasion. I would wish
that you might look into my
heart and see there for your-
selves just what those feelings
are.

It is just one week ago today

that the realization came to me
that this responsibility of leader-
ship would probably fall upon
my shoulders. I received word
that President George Albert
Smith had taken a turn for the
worse, and that the doctor
thought the end was not far off.
I hastened to his bedside, and
with his weeping daughters, son,
and other kinfolk, I entered his

President David 0. McKay at
general conference in April 1953

sickroom. For the first time, he
failed to recognize me.

Then I had to accept the
realization that the Lord had
chosen not to answer our plead-
ings as we would have had them
answered, and that he was going
to take him home to himself.
Thankfully, he rallied again later
in the day. Several days preced-
ing that visit, as President Clark
and I were considering problems
of import pertaining to the
Church, he, ever solicitous of the
welfare of the Church and of
my feelings, would say, "The re-
sponsibility will be yours to
make this decision," but each
time I would refuse to face what
to him seemed a reality.

When that reality came, as I
tell you, I was deeply moved.
And I am today, and pray that I
may, even though inadequately,
be able to tell you how weighty
this responsibility seems.

The Lord has said that the
three presiding high priests
chosen by the body, appointed
and ordained to this office of
presidency, are to be "upheld by
the confidence, faith, and prayer
of the Church." No one can
preside over this Church without
first being in tune with the head
of the Church, our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. He is our
head. This is his Church. With-
out his divine guidance and
constant inspiration, we cannot
succeed. With his guidance, with
his inspiration, we cannot fail.

Next to that as a sustaining
potent power comes the confi-
dence, faith, prayers, and united
support of the Church.

I pledge to you that I shall do
my best so to live as to merit
the companionship of the Holy
Spirit, and pray here in your
presence that my counselors and
I may indeed be "partakers of
the divine spirit."

Next to that, unitedly we plead
with you for a continuation of
your love and confidence as you
have expressed it today. From
you members of the Twelve we
ask for that love and sympathy
expressed in our sacred Council.
From the Assistants to the
Twelve, the Patriarch, the First
Council of the Seventy, the Pre-
siding Bishopric, we ask that the
spirit of unity, expressed so fer-
vently by our Lord and Savior
when he was saying good-bye to
the Twelve, may be manifest by
us all.

You remember he said, as he
left them: "And now I am no
more in the world, but these are
in the world, and I come to thee.
Holy Father, keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast
given me, that they may be one,
as we are.

"Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which
shall believe on me through their
word;

"That they all may be one; as
thou, Father, art in me, and I in
thee, that they also may be one
in us ; that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me." (John
17:11, 20-21.)

Brethren and sisters, brethren
of the General Authorities, God
keep us as one, overlooking
weaknesses we may see, keeping
an eye single to the glory of God
and the advancement of his
work.

And now to the members of
the Church: We all need your
help, your faith and prayers, not
your adverse criticisms, but
your help. You can do that in
prayer if you cannot reach us in
person. The potency of those
prayers throughout the Church
came to me yesterday when I re-
ceived a letter from a neighbor
in my old home town. He was
milking his cows when the word

came over his radio, which he
has in his barn, that President
Smith had passed. He sensed
what that would mean to his
former fellow townsman, and he
left his barn and went to the
house and told his wife. Imme-
diately they called their little
children, and there in that hum-
ble home, suspending their activ-
ities, they knelt down as a family
and offered prayer. The signifi-
cance of that scene I leave for
you to understand. Multiply that
by a hundred thousand, two hun-
dred thousand, half a million
homes, and see the power in the
unity and prayers, and the sus-
taining influence in the body of
the Church.

Today you have by your vote
placed upon us the greatest re-
sponsibility, as well as the great-
est honor, that lies within your
power to bestow as members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Your doing
so increases the duty of the First
Presidency to render service to
the people.

When the Savior was about to
leave his apostles, he gave them
a great example of service. You
remember he girded himself with
a towel and washed his disciples'
feet. Peter, feeling it was a
menial work for a servant, said,
". . . dost thou wash my feet? . . .
Thou shalt never wash my feet."

The Savior answered, "If I
wash thee not, thou hast no part
with me."

"Nay then," said the chief
apostle. "Not my feet only, but
also my hands and my head."

"He that is washed needeth
not save to wash his feet, but is
clean every whit," the Master
replied.

"What I do thou knowest not
now; but thou shalt know here-
after." (See John 13:6, 8-10, 7.)

And then he washed his feet,

and those of the others also. Re-
turning the basin to the side of
the door, ungirding himself, and
putting on his robe, he returned
to his position with the Twelve
and said:

"Ye call me Master and Lord :
and ye say well ; for so I am.

"If I then, your Lord and
Master, have washed your feet;
ye also ought to wash one an-
other's feet." (John 13:13-14.)

What an example of service to
those great servants, followers
of the Christ! He that is great-
est among you, let him be least.
So we sense the obligation to be
of greater service to the mem-
bership of the Church, to devote
our lives to the advancement of
the kingdom of God on earth.

God bless you, brothers and
sisters. May the spirit of this
occasion remain in our hearts.
May it be felt throughout the
uttermost parts of the earth,
wherever there is a branch in all
the world, that that spirit might
be a unifying power in increas-
ing the testimony of the divinity
of this work, that it may grow
in its influence for good in the
establishment of peace through-
out the world.

I bear you my testimony that
the head of this Church is our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I
know the reality of his existence,
of his willingness to guide and
direct all who serve him. I know
he restored, with his Father, to
the Prophet Joseph Smith the
gospel of Jesus Christ in its full-
ness. I know that these brethren
whom you have sustained today
are men of God. I love them.
Don't you think anything else.
God's will has been done.

May we have increased power
to be true to the responsibilities
that the Lord and you have
placed upon us, I pray in the
name of Jesus Christ. Amen. O

Era, February 1970 7

ii n •

David Q McKay,
1873-1970

By Jay M. Todd,

Assistant Managing Editor,
and Albert L. Zobell, Jr.

Research Editor

Illustrated by Gary Kapp
Courtesy BYU Banyon - 1970

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What can be said when a
Prophet is called back to
our Heavenly Father? A
Prophet who has gloriously com-
pleted—in the words of the immor-
tal hymn— 'all you sent me forth
to do"?*

David O. McKay, ninth President
of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, died peacefully
in his ninety-seventh year at his
Hotel Utah apartment at 6:00 a.m.
on the peaceful Sabbath morning of
January 18, 1970. During the hours
after midnight, members of his fam-
ily had arrived to be at his bedside.

'Oh, my Father," by Eliza R. Snow.

About midnight, congestion of
the heart developed and steadily
worsened. Several hours prior to
his death, the President lapsed into
a coma. He had been in failing
health for several months and in a
weakening condition for several
days with complications of heart
and kidney failure. Although for
some time he had been confined to
a wheelchair and had experienced
difficulties in speech, he had met
regularly with Church authorities
to discuss and review Church
operations.

Every Latter-day Saint felt a per-
sonal loss with the death of David
(a biblical name meaning "beloved")

r%-

President McKay surrounded by students following a Brigham Young University address

Hugh J. Cannon and Elder David 0. McKay in 1921 on their world tour of Church missions

Oman (his grandmother's maiden
name) McKay. He was born Sep-
tember 8, 1873, in the northern
Utah alpine farm community of
Huntsville, in a corner bedroom of
the family stone house, the first son
and third child of David and
Jennette Evans McKay, Scottish-
Welsh emigrant converts. His
father had emigrated from Scotland
at the age of 12, and his mother had
emigrated from Wales at the age
of six.

He was born less than four years
after the completion of the trans-
continental railroad, 26 years after
the pioneers had entered the valley
of the Great Salt Lake, and 43

years after the Church was orga-
nized by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Brigham Young was then President
of the Church.

As young David grew, the
Church grew— and seemingly, every
personal milestone in his life can
be related in time to great mile-
stones in Church history: he was
baptized when President John
Taylor presided over the Church,
received his mission call under the
direction of President Wilford
Woodruff, was married in the Salt
Lake Temple when President
Lorenzo Snow held the sacred
priesthood sealing powers, was
called to the Council of the Twelve

by President Joseph F. Smith, and
rendered remarkable service in the
First Presidency to President Heber
J. Grant and President George Al-
bert Smith before beginning his
own administration in 1951, an ad-
ministration that has been unparal-
leled in the history of the Church.

For 64 years Latter-day Saints
saw him as an official apostolic
ambassador at the pulpits of their
wards and stakes. They saw him
in the missions; they saw him at the
pulpit of the Tabernacle and heard
his voice and saw his image in their
homes by way of the miracles of
radio and television. They have
felt his influence in their lives.
Although relatively few had per-
sonal conversation with him or
shook his hand, he was a personal
influence in their lives. The mem-
bers of the Church will miss him, as
will the countless nonmembers,
worldwide, who were among his
ever-expanding circle of friends.

The David O. McKay era— the
period during which he served as
President of the Church, from
April 9, 1951, until January 18,
1970— has indeed been a golden age
for the Church.

President McKay saw the size of
the Church nearly triple— from one
million in 1951 to nearly three mil-
lion at the time of his death, and
the number of stakes grew from
184 to an even 500. In spearhead-
ing this growth, he traveled ap-
proximately one million miles to
become the most widely traveled
Church President in history— far
more than the ancient apostle
whom he most admired, the apostle
Paul. He visited all the missions in
Europe and was the first President
ever to visit missions in South
Africa, South America, the Pacific
isles, New Zealand, and Australia.
The number of missions more than
doubled, to 88 in number, and the
unpaid, full-time missionary force
grew from about 2,000 to more

10 Era, February 1970

than 12,000. He instituted three
language training schools for mis-
sionaries, at Brigham Young Uni-
versity, Ricks College, and Church
College of Hawaii.

The entry of the Church into
public places, such as world fairs,
and the establishment of visitors
centers reflect President McKay's
great mission of placing the message
of the Church in the mainstream of
life. His famous statement, "Every
member a missionary," and subse-
quent counsel enlisted members
Church-wide in the missionary
cause.

Never in the history of the
Church has there been such a
builder as President McKay. Since
1951, over 3,750 Church buildings
have been constructed throughout
the world. (With those now under
construction or in planning stages,
the total is 4,411 buildings for his
administration.) This number is far
greater than the number built in
the first 120 years of the Church.
Of the buildings constructed under
his administration, over 2,000 of
them are ward and branch chapels.
Under his direction, eight temples
were built or announced: Los
Angeles Temple, Swiss Temple,
London Temple, New Zealand
Temple, Oakland Temple, Ogden
Temple, Provo Temple, and the
Washington Temple. The comple-
tion of the latter three will bring to
15 the total number of temples in
use by the Church, of which more
than half will have been instituted
under President McKay's adminis-
tration. (Associated with the growth
in number of temples has been the
worldwide stature achieved by the
Church's Genealogical Society. Suf-
ficient records are now on micro-
film for genealogical use throughout
the Church to fill over three million
300-page books.)

Other building projects include
the $10-million David O. McKay
Hospital in Ogden, as well as exten-

sive remodeling in other Church
hospitals, many seminary and insti-
tute buildings throughout the
Church, greatly enlarged college
campuses at Brigham Young Uni-
versity and Ricks College, the con-
struction of the Church College of
Hawaii, and the building of about
60 elementary and high school com-
plexes throughout the South Seas,
Central America, and South Amer-
ica. Construction was recently
begun on a 25-story Church Admin-
istration Building, scheduled for
completion in 1972.

President McKay's impressive
influence was felt deeply in other
significant matters that have greatly
altered the makeup of the Church.
Under his inspired direction the
creation of the far-reaching Church
Correlation Program was instituted.
Giant strides were taken to weld
together in common purpose all the
energies and facilities of the
Church's administration and pro-
grams, particularly as the goals
of the Church were expressed
through the four priesthood pro-
grams—home teaching, missionary,
welfare, and genealogy. In addition,
the family home evening program—
which has received international
acclaim for its concept of strength-
ening the family unit— was devel-
oped. Notable changes in Church
government were applied by Presi-
dent McKay, including the addi-
tion of several counselors in the
First Presidency, additional As-
sistants to the Council of the
Twelve, and the calling of Regional
Representatives of the Twelve; in
addition, members of the First
Council of the Seventy have been
ordained to the office of high
priest.

Indeed, in all things the kingdom
of God on earth progressed greatly
and was blessed greatly by the
wise, beloved, and inspired leader-
ship of David Oman McKay as he
presided over the Church for nearly

19 years. The world was brought to
more appreciation of the Church,
and the Church was brought to
more appreciation of the good-
nesses of mankind found within the
world. Parents were brought to
more appreciation of and love for
their children, and children were
brought to more appreciation of and
love for their parents. Family ties
were knit even more closely, and
marital bonds were enriched. Indi-
viduals were brought closer to God
and God was brought closer to in-
dividuals as countless millions
adopted gospel principles and
heeded President McKay's great
and majestic pleas for the building
of man's most priceless possession-
personal character.

All of these general Church
achievements reflect the selfsame
qualities of brilliance, wisdom, love,
imagination, and transparent good-
ness that were within the man.
Indeed, these achievements simply
mirror the nature of David Oman
McKay. In a similar manner they
reflect the home environment in
which he grew, unconsciously as-
similating the remarkable virtues
and characteristics found in the
home of his father and mother,
David and Jennette Evans McKay.

Young David began mortality as
a farm boy on the mountain valley
acres that he himself was to operate
and own throughout his life. Al-
though he was to preach in many
far-off places, among many tongues
and peoples, his listeners always
delighted in his sermon lessons of
his horses, Dandy and Sonny Boy,
and a family bobsled party was at
least a once-a-year tradition.

Many of his stories that intrigued
and charmed listeners reflected his
love for the things and people of the
soil. Until late in life, he could be
found in moments of leisure at the
farm, caring for stock, training his
horses, cutting hay, plowing land,
and doing the duties he learned

11

Elder McKay when he became first assistant
superintendent of the Sunday School, 1909

He was always at home in the South Seas

under the hand of his father.

Once when President McKay
was conversing with the late Pres-
ton Nibley, former assistant Church
historian, Brother Nibley remarked
on the many noted persons that the
President had met during his long
life and asked, "President McKay,
who is the greatest man you have
ever met?" He replied without
hesitation, "My father."

(Of his mother, President McKay
had written: "I cannot think of a
womanly virtue that my mother did
not possess. . . . She was beautiful
and dignified." "To make home the
most pleasant place in the world
for her husband and children was
her constant aim, which she

achieved naturally and supremely.")

Young David grew to manhood
loving the things his father loved,
loving nature, liking most of all to
be in the saddle, riding among the
hills, there to spend hours in con-
templation.

The McKay family of David's
youth knew tragedy early, as the
dread diphtheria swept through the
community during the winter of
1877-78, claiming 20 children, in-
cluding young David's two older
sisters, Margaret and Elena.

When David was seven, his
father was called to return to his
native Scotland as a Mormon
missionary. The father debated
whether to accept the call, finally
telling his wife that he would ask
for a postponement until after the
expected baby had joined the fam-
ily circle. She looked at him,
knowing his love for her, and said,
"David, you go on that mission.
You go now. The Lord wants you
now, not a year from now, and he
will take care of me." He left in the
spring of 1881, ten days before the
baby, Annie, was born; she joined 7-
year-old David, 5-year-old Thomas,
and 3-year-old Jeannette. Such was
the spirit and feeling for the Church
in that home, a tone that shaped the
lives of the children, including the
young prophet-to-be. (When the
father returned, he found that an
addition to the house that he had
hoped to build had been built in
his absence.)

It was not long after the elder
David McKay's return from his
mission that he was called as
bishop of the Huntsville Ward. He
later was called as Weber Stake
high councilor and as Weber Stake
patriarch. Active in civic offices, he
served in the last territorial legisla-
ture and three terms as senator in
the Utah Legislature before his
death in 1917.

At the completion of his regular
public schooling, David O. McKay

determined to train and qualify
himself for a career in the field of
secular education. (Interestingly, he
was to make some of his greatest
contributions in the field of re-
ligious education.) Hence, he at-
tended the University of Utah
normal school, located at the time
a few blocks west of Temple
Square, for three years. His years
there left a deep impression upon
him, and he similarly impressed his
associates— he was graduated as
class president and valedictorian of
his class and had played guard on
the first school football team. His
schooling also brought him into
contact with his wife-to-be, Emma
Ray Riggs, daughter of the English-
woman with whom he boarded
while attending school. After his
graduation, the young couple de-
layed their wedding plans as he
accepted a call to serve in the
British Mission. So, in the sum-
mer of 1897, 23-year-old David O.
McKay was ordained a seventy and
left for Europe, where he served, as
had his father some 15 years pre-
viously, in Glasgow, Scotland. As
a missionary he presided over the
Glasgow conference from March
1898 to September 1899.

Some years ago a researcher,
pouring through the Church mis-
sionary records, found an appraisal
of Elder David O. McKay, made by
his mission president upon comple-
tion of Elder McKay's mission. The
appraisal reads:

"As a speaker: Good.

"As a writer: Good.

"As a presiding officer: Very
good.

"Has he a good knowledge of the
gospel? Yes.

"Has he been energetic? Very.

"Is he discreet and does he carry
a good influence? Yes, sir!

"Remarks: None better in the
mission."

This was written in 1899.

President McKay's mission ex-

12

perience fortified him throughout
his life, particularly his experience
of coming across an inscription,
"Whate'er Thou Art, Act Well Thy
Part," at a time of discouragement.
However, another mission incident
was told by the President himself
at a general conference. The inci-
dent occurred as the elders in
Scotland were at a conference pre-
sided over by President James L.
McMurrin:

"I remember as if it were yester-
day, the intensity of the inspira-
tion of that occasion. Everybody
felt the rich outpouring of the
Spirit of the Lord. All present were
truly of one heart and one mind.
Never before had I experienced
such an emotion. It was a mani-
festation for which, as a doubting
youth, I had secretly prayed most
earnestly on hillside and in mea-
dow. It was an assurance to me
that sincere prayer is answered
'sometime, somewhere.' '

The Holy Ghost, he testified, was
poured out upon the elders until
"tears were flowing down their
cheeks . . . not in sorrow or grief,
but as an expression of the over-
flowing Spirit. . . . One elder while
bearing testimony declared, 'Breth-
ren, there are angels in this room!'

"To this, President McMurrin
arose, testifying, 'Yes, brethren,
there are angels in this room!' Then
turning to Elder McKay, he spoke
prophetically, 'Let me say to you,
Brother David, Satan hath desired
you that he might sift you as wheat,
but God is mindful of you. ... If
you will keep the faith, you will
yet sit in the leading councils of
the Church!' "

After President McKay had re-
vealed this testimony, he declared
humbly, "With the resolve then
and there to keep the faith, there
was born a desire to be of service
to my fellowmen, and with it a
realization, a glimpse at least, of
what I owed to the elder who first

President McKay presided at the dedication of the Hyde Park chapel, London, in 1961

carried the message of the restored
gospel to my grandfather and
grandmother who had accepted the
message years before in the north
of Scotland and in South Wales."
(Through the holy calling and
inspired utterances of a patriarch
at the time he received his patri-
archal blessing at age 12, young
David was informed that "the eye
of the Lord is upon you. ... At an
early date you must be prepared
for a responsible position. . . . You
shall see much of the world, you
shall 'assist in gathering scattered
Israel.' ... It shall be your lot to
sit in council with your breth-
ren. . . . You shall preside among
the people.")

His mission over, David O. Mc-
Kay began teaching at Weber
Academy (now Weber State Col-
lege) at Ogden, 13 miles down the
canyon from Huntsville. Almost as
soon as he had arrived home, he
also went to Salt Lake City to re-
new his proposal of marriage to
Emma Ray Riggs. During his
mission, Emma Ray had graduated
from the University of Utah, re-
ceiving special attainments in music
—a training that was to be of warm
and happy value to her ward and
stake and to her family.

They were married in the Salt
Lake Temple January 2, 1901.
David O. McKay was 27 years old.
From that time his thoughts were

Era, February 1970 13

never far from her and their fam-
ily. To this inspiring couple were
born five sons and two daughters:
Royle Riggs McKay (who died in
his early youth), David Lawrence
McKay, Dr. Llewelyn Riggs Mc-
Kay, Lou Jean McKay Blood,
Emma Rae McKay Ashton, Dr. Ed-
ward Riggs McKay, and Robert
Riggs McKay. There are 22
grandchildren and 22 great-grand-
children.

Their 69 years of marital com-
panionship stand as one of the
longest among modern world fig-
ures, and by all odds is likely the
most famous. Their loving associa-
tion, known for its mutual courtesy
and kind consideration, not only
became a tradition and an ideal
among Latter-day Saints, but it was
also a symbol of what can be in a
world where family separations and
marital infidelities are often com-
monplace. To many it has seemed
that God left them together so long
for just such a purpose. In paying
tribute to his wife, President McKay
once wrote to his children:

"Aptly it has been said that,
'Often a woman shapes the career
of husband, or brother, or son.' A
man succeeds and reaps the honors
of public applause, when in truth
a quiet little woman has made it
all possible— has by her tact and
encouragement held him to his
best, has had faith in him when
his own faith has languished, has
cheered him with the unfailing as-
surance 'you can, you must, you
will/

"I need not tell you children how
fittingly this tribute applies to your
mother. All through the years you
have seen how perfectly she fills
the picture. There is not a line or
a touch but is applicable. . . .

"I want to acknowledge to you
and to her, how greatly her loving
devotion, inspiration, and loyal
support have contributed to what-
ever success may be ours.

"Willingly and ably she has
carried the responsibility of the
household.

"Uncomplainingly she has econo-
mized when our means have been
limited.

"Always prompt with meals, she
has never said an unpleasant word
or even shown a frown when I have
kept her waiting, sometimes for
hours.

"If I had to take a train at mid-
night or later, she would either sit
up with me or lie awake to make
sure that I should not oversleep.

"If duty required me to leave at
five o'clock in the morning, she was
never satisfied unless she could pre-
pare me a bite of breakfast before
I left home.

"It has been mother who remem-
bered the birthdays and purchased
the Christmas presents.

"Since January 2, 1901, the happy
day when she became my bride, she
has never given me a single worry
except when she was ill and that
has been, with few exceptions, only
with the responsibilities of mother-
hood.

"Thus my mind has been remark-
ably free to center upon the
problems, cares, and requirements
incident to my duties and responsi-
bilities.

"In sickness, whether it was one
of you or I, her untiring attention
night and day was devotion personi-
fied; her practical skill, invariably
effective; and her physical endur-
ance, seemingly unlimited. Many
an ache and pain she has endured
in uncomplaining silence so as not
to give the least worry to the loved
one to whom she was giving such
tender care.

"Never to this day have you
heard your mother say a cross or
disrespectful word. This can be
said truthfully, I think, of but few
women in the world.

"Under all conditions and circum-
stances, she has been the perfect

lady. Her education has enabled
her to be a true helpmate; her
congeniality and interest in my
work, a pleasing companion; her
charm and unselfishness, a lifelong
sweetheart; her unbounded pa-
tience and intelligent insight to
childhood, a most devoted mother;
—these and many other virtues,
combined with her loyalty and self-
sacrificing devotion to her husband,
impel me to crown her the sweetest,
most helpful, most inspiring sweet-
heart and wife that ever inspired a
man to noble endeavor.

"To her we owe our happy family
life and whatever success we may
have achieved!"

President McKay's legacy in the
area of love at home will be talked
of for generations, a source of in-
spiration and guidance for count-
less millions. His great message
to this age centered on the sanctity
and importance of the home— and
few men were blessed with better
resources of such long duration as
was he.

The desire to teach mankind of
the potential of a good home life
reflected President McKay's great
background in education. A year
following his marriage, and about
two years after he began teaching
at Weber Academy, he was ap-
pointed superintendent at the
academy, a position he held until
1908 and "over which he presided
with great credit and distinguished
ability," as President J. Reuben
Clark, Jr., was to recall many years
later.

His first post-mission Church
assignments were in education also
—in the Sunday School. Shortly
after his return from the mission
field in 1899, he was called as sec-
ond assistant superintendent of
Weber Stake Sunday School, and it
was in this organization that his
love of teaching, his natural admin-
istrative talents, and his progressive,
ever-learning nature began to

14

forcefully manifest themselves.

In the first days of April 1906,
David O. McKay received a call to
attend general conference in Salt
Lake City. In discussing the mat-
ter, he and Emma Ray thought that
if anything important were in-
volved—other than asking his opin-
ion about educational matters— it
might be a call to serve as Church
commissioner of education. But to
their surprise, he was called to fill
a vacancy in the Council of the
Twelve, and thus began his record
of 64 years as a General Authority
of the Church. He was 32 years
old at the time.

With this holy calling, David O.
McKay's life was forever changed—
chartered undeniably upon its
divine course. His abilities and in-
terests in education prompted his
first appointment: some six months
after taking his seat in the Council
of the Twelve, he was called as
second assistant general superin-
tendent of the Deseret Sunday
School Union, under President
Joseph F. Smith as superintendent.
He became first assistant in 1909,
and in 1918 he was called as general
superintendent.

As a teacher and motivator of
youth— and as a teacher and moti-
vator of those who work with youth
—he was widely admired. Recog-
nizing his superior talents in the
field of education, President Heber
J. Grant appointed him commis-
sioner of education for the Church,
a post he held from 1919 to 1921.

In 1921 he was appointed to the
Board of Regents of the University
of Utah, the school from which he
was graduated 25 years previously.
A year later he was awarded an
honorary master of arts degree from
Brigham Young University. (He
later served on the Board of Trus-
tees at Utah State Agricultural
College and on the Board of Trus-
tees of Brigham Young University,
the only known person to have

served on all three boards. Later
in life he was to receive honorary
doctorates from those three schools,
as well as from Temple University
in Philadelphia, and he was hon-
ored by numerous educational
organizations throughout America
with honorary memberships.)

From this extensive background
of talent, training, experience,
years of leadership responsibility—
as well as a natural interest in and
love for education— it is easy to see
the source of the great advance-
ments made in Church education
since he became President of the
Church. Not only did the seminary
and institute and Church school
systems become worldwide with a
vast system of campuses and course
work, but in addition, priesthood
and auxiliary education within the
Church was greatly stimulated,
altered, refined, and made more
effective under the careful tute-
lage of President McKay, as he
pointedly counseled general Church
auxiliary presidencies and super-
intendents and general board
members.

His interests took a new turn in
1920 when he received one of the
most unusual assignments ever
given a member of the Council of
the Twelve. He was called by
President Heber J. Grant "to make
a general survey of the missions,
study conditions there, gather data
concerning them, and in short, ob-
tain general information in order
that there may be someone in the
deliberations of the First Presi-
dency and the Council of the
Twelve thoroughly familiar with
actual conditions."

And thus began a 13-month,
62,000-mile tour, as he sailed over
all oceans except the Arctic Ocean
and visited all missions of the
Church except South Africa. Ac-
companying him as his assigned
companion was Hugh J. Cannon,
president of Liberty Stake.

In many locales, particularly in
the South Seas, Elder McKay was
the first General Authority ever to
visit.

They first visited Japan, China
(which Elder McKay dedicated for
the 'preaching of the gospel), and
Hawaii. They returned for a short
visit with their families and then
departed by boat for the South
Seas. The experiences of those
months in the South Seas— Tahiti,
Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand-
involved some great pentecostal
events, including the gift of inter-
pretation of tongues, as well as spe-
cial outpourings of the Spirit. It
was a tour that forever held the
Saints of the islands close to the
heart of President McKay. Brother
Cannon wrote: "For years Saints
had prayed for the privilege of
seeing with their own eyes an
Apostle of the Lord. This plea had
been granted. They had seen him,
had pressed his hand, not a few
had kissed it and bathed it in their
tears, had listened to his inspired
words and had received additional
confirmation of their faith that the
Almighty does have divinely chosen
men to lead his people." So intense
and spiritual was the parting at
Sauniatu, Samoa, that the Saints
erected a monument at the scene
where they said farewell. Yearly,
the Saints in the area have gathered
on the anniversary of that day,
known as McKay Day, to review
those events and the prayer given
by the apostle.

From the Pacific isles, the two
men went to Australia, stopping at
Java, Singapore, Burma, India,
Aden, Egypt, the Holy Land, and
then continued up through Europe
to England and home to America.
Elder McKay's report and appraisal
of the work greatly benefitted
Church leaders, in addition to sug-
gesting a new area of emphasis for
49-year-old David O. McKay. His
view of the Church took on a new

Era, February 1970 15

*r

1

S

worldwide view, an insight that he
was to draw upon heavily when he
became President. He had learned
firsthand of the love, devotion, true
equality, talents, and brotherhood
of the Saints in different lands and
cultures. More than anything else,
this tour influenced his already
deeply based compassionate nature
to guide members of the Church in
understanding their real and eternal
brotherhood with all mankind.

The year's experience also re-
minded him of the great value of
missionary work and set his course;
for years later he would turn the
whole Church toward an inspired
concept— "Every member a mission-
ary." His missionary spirit must
have been contagious, for he had
been home but a few months when
the First Presidency called him to
the presidency of the European
Mission. So, accompanied by his
family, he departed for England,
where in the next two years he was
able to implement his ideas on
proselyting that he had envisioned
while traveling around the world
and that he would use with such
great effectiveness during his presi-
dency years later that they would
bring upwards of 100,000 converts
yearly into the Church. It was at
this time that many of the families
of the Church began calling him
President McKay— the title by
which he had been known in the
European Mission presidency.

He returned home in 1924 and
resumed his work as superintendent
of the Sunday School and his regu-
lar duties as a member of the
Council of the Twelve. During
the next decade he continued to
carry important assignments in the
Council of the Twelve, particularly
traveling to conferences and other
Church assignments throughout the
West in white-top, horse-drawn
buggies, trains, and the new and
better automobiles of the period.
He was maturing in the varied and

Breaking ground for the
London Temple, 1955

many responsibilities that befall
members of the Council of the
Twelve.

Then on October 6, 1934, follow-
ing the death of President Anthony
W. Ivins, former first counselor to
President Grant, President J. Reu-
ben Clark, Jr., was advanced to
first counselor and David O. Mc-
Kay, at 61 years of age, was ap-
pointed as second counselor. Thus
began his nearly 17 years as a
counselor in the First Presidency,
in which he was inextricably en-
twined in the major decisions of
the Church, followed by almost 19
years as President of the Church,
for a total of nearly 36 years as a
member of the First Presidency.

At Greenock, Scotland, 1955, President Mc-
Kay greets members of the arriving Choir

(This record is exceeded only by
that of President Joseph F. Smith,
who was a member of the First
Presidency for slightly over 38
years.)

One^of the first changes that was
made after President McKay en-
tered the First Presidency was his
own release from the Sunday
School and the calling of non-
General Authorities as officers and
board members of both the Sunday
School and the Young Men's Mu-
tual Improvement Association.

Those were difficult days— the
mid-1980s. The depression and the
specter of the coming world war
pressed heavily upon the world.
The Church Welfare Program was

Era, February 1970 17

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February 1970 Era

organized, and President McKay
joined other General Authorities in
going throughout the Church, ex-
plaining and organizing the plan,
and spending much time on the
problems incident to the period.
Even so, busy as he was, he never
forgot the young people of the
Church. On countless mid-week
evenings he would, upon appoint-
ment, take Sister McKay to an as-
sembly of M Men and Gleaners or
other young Latter-day Saints,
where he would speak on the prin-
ciples of happy courtship and mar-
riage.

The early years of the 1940s were
years of world war, and with other
members of the First Presidency,
President McKay was a source
of great strength and assurance to
members of the Church during
those trying times. At the death of
President Heber J. Grant in May
1945, he was again called as sec-
ond counselor, this time to Presi-
dent George Albert Smith.

Upon the death of President
Smith, President David Oman Mc-
Kay was sustained by the member-
ship of the Church on April 9, 1951,
as the ninth President of the
Church. That for which he had
been preparing for 77 years had
come to pass. (It was 45 years to
the day since he had been ordained
an apostle.) At a time when most
men would already have been re-
tired for some 12 years from their
occupations, David O. McKay be-
gan to break ground for one of the
most awe-inspiring periods ever
directed by a President of the
Church.

Having learned from his 1920-21
world tour that nothing can take
the place of firsthand information,
President McKay determined to
travel widely during those early
years of his administration, and by
doing so, he became the first Presi-
dent of the Church ever to travel
to many of the missions. In 1952

he toured Europe; in 1954, South
Africa, South America, and Central
America; and in 1955, Hawaii, the
islands of the Pacific, and Australia.
Thereafter, he returned to Europe
and the Pacific isles to break
ground and to dedicate temples and
colleges that his previous tours had
indicated were needed. Truly,
President McKay desired to bring
the schools (with their saving truths
of knowledge) and the temples
(with their saving ordinances of
salvation) to the membership of the
Church; no longer would the Saints
of those areas have to save for a
lifetime for the privilege of making
one journey to a temple or suffer
without the benefit of education.

Another result of these tours was
President McKay's decision to give
the Saints full priesthood leadership
in their respective areas; hence, he
directed that stakes with local
leadership be organized through-
out the world. Zion's borders were
indeed being enlarged, her banner
being beautifully unfurled. And
wherever he traveled he sought out
meetings with top government
leaders, expressing the true mis-
sion of the Church, correcting mis-
conceptions, leaving a spirit of
friendship that was to bless the
Church many times over.

His leadership and innovative
and administrative abilities were
everywhere present, even in the
vast business responsibilities of the
Church. A revised financial struc-
ture was established; the President
of the Church became chairman of
the boards of all Church businesses;
and full-time presidents were
named to head businesses that had
taken so much of the time of pre-
vious Church leaders, whose efforts
were needed more in spiritual and
religious matters.

The decade of the sixties was
more than anything else a period
of development and refinement of
the programs and concepts he

initiated during the 1950s. Through-
out the last decade, President Mc-
Kay's labors were directed toward
strengthening the programs: build-
ing even better priesthood leader-
ship throughout the Church,
fortifying the home through better
family home evening and home
teaching experiences, increasing the
Saints' desires to experience love
for their brothers through better
missionary service for the living
and increased temple ordinances
for the dead. It was a decade of
refinement, a decade that ably used
the educational and administrative
talents and wisdom of the President.

His great and stirring pronounce-
ments at the general conferences of
the Church centered upon the
home and its divine role in saving
souls. His thoughts and expressions
became standards not only for
Latter-day Saints; people through-
out the world also respected his
wisdom, inspired utterances, and
friendship. Consequently, many
honors were bestowed upon him,
making him a widely recognized
leader among men and bringing
respect and goodwill to the Church.

Truly David Oman McKay was
given to our day through the spe-
cial love and purposes of the Lord.
He served longer as President than
six of the other eight Presidents of
the Church. Only two— President
Heber J. Grant and President Brig-
ham Young— served longer. Well
over half of the members of the
Church today have known no other
President of the Church.

He was a Prophet of God who
knew that he was on the Lord's
errand and that nothing could stay
the hand of the Lord in the onrush
of his kingdom on earth. We have
been blessed to have lived during
his administration, to have heard
his voice and felt his presence. It
has been an honor and privilege to
have been guided by such as he
toward the Christ-like life. O

Era, February 1970 19

People from all walks of life passed by the funeral bier, where President McKay's body lay in state in the Church Office Building

Tributes and Messages of Sympathy

Folloiving the announcement of the death
of President David 0. McKay, hundreds of
letters, telegrams, and other expressions of
love and sympathy began arriving at Church
headquarters. Printed herewith are excerpts
from some of these messages:

Senate Resolution 314:

In the Senate of the United States, January 21, 1970, the
following Resolution was passed unanimously.

RESOLVED THAT the Senate has learned with great
sorrow and regret of the death of David O. McKay, late
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

RESOLVED THAT as a token of its respect and admira-
tion for his long and dedicated services as humanitarian,
missionary, church leader and President of the Church, the
Senate hereby expresses its sincere sympathy and sorrow at

his passing to his beloved wife and family and to members
and nonmembers around the world who accepted him as a
great spiritual leader.

Washington State Senate Resolution 1970-Ex. 10, adopted
January 19, 1970:

WHEREAS, David O. McKay, President of the Church
of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, since 1951, and one
of that church's most distinguished leaders, died on Sunday,
January 18, 1970 in Salt Lake City, Utah; and

WHEREAS, President McKay guided the church in its
growth from one million members to nearly three million
members during the period of his presidency; and

WHEREAS, his leadership has been the source of inspira-
tion to all the members of his church, among whom are
numbered many citizens of the state of Washington, who by
their personal lives and dedication to the lofty ideals of the
Mormon church contribute significantly to the moral and
spiritual vitality of their communities; and

20

WHEREAS, President McKay's exhortations and encour-
agement to the formation of vital family relationships among
his followers demonstrates his deep concern with this most
fundamental of all social relationships.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Sen-
ate of the state of Washington mourns the death of this
devoted and beloved leader of the Church of Jesus Christ
of the Latter-day Saints, and joins with the family of Presi-
dent McKay and the members of the church in their be-
reavement.

Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

WHEREAS, through his life and works, David O. McKay
offered an example of Christian principles to all Americans;
and

WHEREAS, David O. McKay served the members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout his
many years, and for nineteen years provided guidance and
counsel as the President of the Church, expanding its mem-
bership, carrying word of its teachings to many millions, and
supervising continued construction and dedication of build-
ings to its work; and

WHEREAS, all people of the world will mark with sorrow
the passing of this great leader and inspirational individual,
so too will the people of the state of Idaho join in acknowl-
edging with sadness the death of David O. McKay.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the House
of Representatives of the state of Idaho, the Senate concur-
curring therein, that the members of the Fortieth Idaho
Legislature take this opportunity to recognize and memori-
alize the contribution to the quality of our lives made by
President David O. McKay, and urge that all citizens of
this state and the United States join in observances to com-
memorate this contribution.

All of Arizona joins in mourning the loss of your great
leader, whose fruitful years were of such great service to
his church and country. — Governor Jack Williams of Arizona

Please accept my most sincere condolences at your own
personal loss and the loss to the church of a kindly and
Godly leader. May God's love and mercy be with you in
your hour of bereavement. — Tuipelehake, Premier, Nukua-
lofa, Tonga

I was saddened to learn of your husband's passing and
want you to know you and your family have my deepest
sympathy.

Words are certainly inadequate at a time like this, but
I hope you will gain solace from the knowledge that your
husband's friends in the FBI share your sorrow. — /. Edgar
Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

May I at this solemn moment express to you and through
you to the members of your church my deepest feelings of
sorrow for the loss of the great man that President McKay
has been. My fellow countrymen in particular will never
forget what through his relentless efforts he did for Greece
in times of dire circumstances. In him we have recognized
an outstanding American in the great tradition of the
principles for which your country is known throughout the
world.— Basil Vitsaxis, Ambassador of Greece, Washington,
D.C.

Please accept and convey our personal sense of loss and
deep grief in the demise of Dr. McKay. His was a towering
figure in the field of spirit and a source of inspiration to all

those who have known him however fleetingly. My wife
and I join you in mourning the passing of a great man.
— John Zoinis, Greek Ambassador to Turkey

Please accept my deepest condolences at the passing of
David McKay. His memory will forever live on as a fearless
fighter for justice and for peace between men everywhere.
— Lt. Gen. Y Rabin, Ambassador of Israel, Washington, D.C.

Dear Mrs. McKay:

Mrs. Jordan joins me in extending to you and your fam-
ily our deepest sympathies and condolences over the death
of President McKay, one of the most distinguished American
religious leaders of our times and your devoted partner in
marriage for most of this century.

The flood of messages that you will receive from great
and humble people throughout the world will prove reassur-
ing to you and will testify to the great esteem with which
President McKay was regarded by people of all stations in
life, both within and without the church of your faith. His
warmth, his dignity of bearing, his reasonable attitude, his
simple eloquence, his dedication, all stamped him as a
church official of true distinction. The Mormon Church
achieved its greatest growth in membership and influence
during his administration, which began at the age of 77
when many men have closed the book upon their public
affairs. — Len B. Jordan, United States Senator from Idaho

As a young man of 17 it was my privilege to first meet
Elder McKay when he was an apostle of the Church and
I was preparing for a mission to which I had been called in
England. Elder McKay at that time was the favorite of all
the missionaries in the mission home of the numerous
speakers who addressed us during the two-week training
period. From 1931 until the present time I have never had
occasion to question the inspired leadership of this wonder-
ful man. — Del Clawson, U.S. Congressman from California

Alofa Village grieves the loss of its chief. — Sauniatu Vil-
lage Council, Samoa

My Maori people join me in sorrow at the death of Presi-
dent McKay. Please accept and convey to your Church our
sincere sympathy. — Te Atairangikaaho, New Zealand

Being much grieved to learn of the great loss the Mormon
Church suffered by the death of late President David Mc-
Kay, I extend to you sincere condolences and sympathy.
— Siegfried von Nostilz, German Consul General, San
Francisco

The principles and philosophies he exemplified are those
which not only account for the strength and influence of his
church, but which are essential to sound societies and great
nations.

The inspiration he gave to the membership of the Church
as a leader, and to those of us privileged to know him as a
man of character and wisdom, is a legacy of unequaled
value. — General Lewis B. Hershey, former director of the
U.S. Selective Service, Washington, D.C.

Be it a spiritual order of the National Board of Directors,
in joint session, on January 21st, 1970. That in reverence
to our late member, it is so ordered, that the coming project
of the Scottish American Society, Inc. Home for our Aged,
when built within the area of our Nation's Capital, be
herein stated and called The David O. McKay S.A.A. Home
forever in his memory. — Stanley Waldorf Mackenzie,

Era, February 1970 21

founder and national chairman. The Scottish American So-
ciety Inc.. Washington. D.C.

We express our deepest sympathies on the passing of
President David Oman McKay. The world has lost a great
religious leader. — Bishop Kenryu T. Suji, Buddhist Churches
of America National, San Francisco, California

I join you in sorrow and prayer as we thank God for the
humble servant and the great leader with whom he blessed
your Church. — Archbishop Iakovos, New York, New York

I join the multitudes in paying tribute to a great leader
who fulfilled God's plans for man on earth. — William D.
Cocorinia, member of the Arch-diocesan Council, Greek
Orthodox Church, North and South America

The University of Utah has suffered a real loss in the
passing of President McKay. He has been closely asso-
ciated with the University ever since he entered as a student
in 1894 and played on the varsity football team. I regard
him as the University's most distinguished alumnus and we
are grateful for his lifelong interest in the welfare of his
alma mater.

Our beautiful Pioneer Memorial Theatre will always be
a monument to his interest and to his patronage of the fine
arts. It is entirely fitting that a portrait should hang in the
lobby of the theatre.

Greater than all of these is what President McKay stood
for. There has never been a greater friend to education
than David O. McKay. Every child born in Utah since the
turn of the century has benefited from this. It is a legacy
that can never be measured and will continue into eternity.
— James C. Fletcher, president, University of Utah

I was saddened to learn of the death of President David
O. McKay. The Mormon Church has lost a distinguished
and great leader. He was loved and revered by all who
knew him. His devoted service has left its mark upon the
whole world.

On behalf of the University, I offer our deepest sympathy
to members of the Church and his immediate family.
— William E. Davis, president, Idaho State University

I was greatly grieved at the news of the death of Presi-
dent McKay. Christianity has lost a great and true advocate.
His example of dedicated stewardship throughout his long
life will remain as a beacon to those who come after him.
— H. L. Hunt, Dallas, Texas

Our hearts were saddened this morning by the news that
our dear friend and great leader President David O. McKay
had passed on to meet the Heavenly Father. The world and
all of us will miss a great man and a great prophet. — Mary
and Igor Gorin, New York, N.Y.

The members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, my wife and
I are deeply saddened by the passing of your great husband.
It is an irreparable loss not only to the Mormon Church but
to the world. — Eugene Ormandy, director of the Philadelphia
Orchestra

We mourn with you the passing of President McKay. In
him we recognize an outstanding leader of his church whose
advice and friendship to Scouting have been appreciated
through the years. — Irving Fiest, President, Boy Scouts of
America, and Alden G. Barber, Chief Scout Executive

The passing of your great leader David O. McKay saddens
all of us but reminds the world of his century of inspiring
service to humanity and God. To you, the council, and his
followers we send our deepest condolences and prayers for
those who will continue his noble work. — E. Roland Harri-
man, American National Red Cross, Washington, D.C.

It was with a deep sense of personal loss that I learned
of President McKay's death. His was a warm, perceptive
and inspiring spirit that enriched the lives of countless
thousands throughout the world. It was my great privilege
to have known him, to have received his counsel, and to
have felt his influence in my life. May I extend to you and
your family my deepest sympathy. — Lane W. Adams,
executive vice-president, American Cancer Society

The officers and directors of United States Steel join me in
expressing our profound sorrow over the passing of President
David O. McKay and share with you and our many asso-
ciates in Utah the loss of a true friend and great spiritual
leader. His life and work were an inspiration to all. — Edwin
H. Gott, chairman of the board, U.S. Steel Corporation

Our deepest sympathy is extended to you and your asso-
ciates, and to the members of his family, on the passing of
President McKay. — Richard P. Cooley, president, Wells
Fargo Bank

Few men of our day can offer such an example of obedi-
ence to the principles of Christianity as did President
McKay. His passing will leave a void in the hearts of all
who knew him. We will always cherish his memory and
the realization that this man who stood for years as the
spiritual leader of a strong, dynamic people has left us a
rich heritage. He stands as an example to us all. He was
a statesman, educator and spiritual leader, worthy of our
admiration and respect. But most of all, his love of God
and his devotion to his fellow man have set him out as one
of the great leaders of our time. — Henry A. Thouron, presi-
dent, Hercules Incorporated

The passing of President McKay was a deep loss, not only
to the members of his Church, but to all of those throughout
the nation who had the privilege of admiring him. He was
a truly great American and will be sadly missed. — James C.
Hagerty, vice-president, American Broadcasting Companies,
Inc.

Our sincere condolences on the loss of your late leader. I
am sure that the memory of his rich and full life will live for
many generations in the hearts and minds of those who
were touched by his. — A. W. Clausen, president, Bank of
America

Please accept our deep sympathy. I'm sure there are few
men in the world today more loved and respected. Few men
have ever had the widespread influence for good or so effec-
tively emulated the teachings of Jesus Christ as did David
O. McKay. He was a great man. — Frank E. Barnett, chair-
man of the board, Union Pacific Railroad Company

Sincere sympathy in the loss of your great leader. — Na-
tional Council of Women of United States, New York, N.Y.

My deepest sympathy with you in the loss of a very won-
derful president. — Stella Reading, dowager marchioness of
Reading, London, England

22 Era, February 1970

First 4 volumes cover
the Presidents from
Joseph Smith to
Joseph F. Smith.

READ WHAT THE PROPHETS
HAD TO SAY ABOUT:

Plurality of Gods

Sons of Perdition

Self-Murder

Revocation of Priesthood

"One Mighty and Strong"

Capital Punishment

Games of Chance

The Law of Adoption

Joining Secret Societies

The Origin of Man

Blood Atonement

Thousands of Other Doctrinal Points
and Official Pronouncements as the
Result of Modern Revelation.

Hundreds of thousands of Latter-day Saints have never
been exposed to all of the revelations, utterances, and
official pronouncements of the leadership of the Church
— past or present. Even well informed members will be
surprised at the wealth of material available on subjects
for which they believed no official viewpoint existed.

There is no finer way to get to know the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints than by glimpsing its growth
thru the official pronouncement of its divinely-led leaders.

MUST

for:

WARD LIBRARIES!
TEACHERS!

PRIESTHOOD LEADERS!
STUDENTS!

270

BOOKCRAFT

1848 West 2300 South

P. 0. Box 268

Salt Lake City, Utah 84110

Please send the following circled

book(s) for which I enclose check

or money order in the amount of $

VOL 1 2 3 4 @ $4.50 each

all 4 for $15.99 (offer expires April 30, 1970)

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY, STATE, ZIP

Residents of Utah add 4'/z% sales tax.

J

mi

Photos on pages 2, 77, 87, 92, 94; upper right, page 20, and at left,
page 24, are by Jerry Harvey. The other photos on pages 20 and
24 and all three photos on page 73 are by Eldon Linschoten.

Sister Emma Ray McKay, in front of funeral bier, listens to funeral tributes

Memories of a Prophet

Legion are the stories, incidents, personal ex-
periences and observations, worthy of report,
concerning President David 0. McKay. The fol-
lowing are only a handful of many such remem-
brances that suggest in a small way the nature of
the man and his soul.

"There are men whose very presence warms the
heart. President McKay is one of them. I spoke
from the heart when, in the middle of a com-
mencement address I was giving at Brigham

Young University, I turned to him on the platform
and said, 'David McKay, almost thou persuadest
me to be a Mormon.' " — The late Cecil B. DeMille

"I recall a heart-stopping moment when as the
aged President McKay mounted the platform to
address a group, he tripped on the stairs. There
was a gasp from the people. But he stood up and
faced the audience with that irrepressible smile.
'It's awful to grow old,' he said ruefully, 'but I
prefer it to the alternative.' " — Norman Vincent
Peale (Continued on page 72)

24

A Prayer for a Prophet, Simply

By Dennis Drake

". . . I bare you on eagles' wings, and
brought you unto myself." (Exod. 19:4.)

Autumn fires out in glory,

Orange, yellow, magenta on a wooded hill.

A breeze rustles precarious November leaves, and is still.

Winged vision tends to the flame burning low,

As the smoldering sun purples the sky;

An aging eagle spirals high into evening,

Out-topping mountains.

No obstacle can bar his sight;

The upward climb endows him light.

He looks far down on evergreen jade,

No further.

Great love can overlook the shade.

This eagle ages gracefully:

White heads can grow no whiter

And wisdom grows only wiser;

His eyes reflect a higher light.

Majestic, he soars in finer air,

Higher than most birds dare,

Communes with clouds, confides in stars.

The years bring weakness with strength,

Give meaning to life, delimit its length.

... he grows old.

Yet is he truth and passion,

He glows in everlasting burnings of eternal fire!

This eagle labors up his last ascent,

Treading time for our mere sakes.

For a brief century he was lent;

Thank God for that time and that life!

May he feel the love that flows

To him on that flight. He goes

More than an eagle; he is not all of this earth,

Yet less than an eagle, for much of him remains behind.

Oh, let him feel our faith, our prayers, our pride,

When his arc ceases to be bold

And the wings fold, and he dies.

Era, February 1970 25

Startled Awakening

By Mary M. Pronovost

/ dreamed my suitor would be

tall,
A Romeo who would enthrone
Me as his Juliet; enthrall
My very being with his own.
I visualized his classic look,
His polished personality,
Which, like the hero's in the

book,
Woidd make life radiant for me.
But I was kissed awake by one
Who wore a comfortable face
And spoke his words of love and

sun
With unassuming, split-7°ail

grace.
The prince I wed has country

skies
And laughing meadows in his

eyes.

Brothers and Sisters
By Dennis Drake

// ever you woidd hide your mind or heart

In hate or shame or misplaced fear

From all that I shoidd want to know of you —

Oh, the loss to both of us;

But dare reveal the depths of what you are,

Then words are more than words,

Can touch far deeper than ear and brain allow

And tell worlds on worlds of what it is ive share.

At this Valentine*
time of the year, a selection of

mso

love of man and woman,
love of others, love of self,

love of country, love of God

Valentines

By Virginia Scott Miner

A valentine to a young love —

This is a promise made,
Sure of itself and the years to come,

Unafraid.

A valentine to an old love —
When tears have all been wept,

This is the flag of faith and trust,
A promise kept.

Shall I Take My Degree
in Theory?

By Evalyn M. Sandberg

Scholarship is important.

I've always felt it so.
And, in the dealings of God with man,

it really helps to know
things past and present and future.

I'm certain, too, that we'll find
continuing thought and study

are vital to spirit and mind.
But what percentage of effort

dare I deploy that way,
anticipating the question

that awaits on judgment day ?
For I have an uneasy feeling

the main query may be:
"And how did you prove your love

of man — and, by extension, Me ?"

26

A Note to Those Who Love Their
Country

By Mabel Jones Gabbott

We have knoivn growing pains

and freedom's anguish,

and the pull

of individual rights

within the nation's whole.

We knew the lash of tyranny and chaos,

felt the full

unselfish measure of devotion,

heart and sold,

of men who fought to make us free,

who sacrificed

to keep us one;

Yet these unrests,

an innate growing,

were recognized, were won

against the tensile strength

of a country, right and good.

Now,

in the present turmoil,

can the past give guidance ?

Could not any nation,

struggling to stay righteous,

know :

the road to peace is trod on bended knee,

ivith trust and faith in God?

Teleology
By John S. Harris

A solitary man lives

In a mediocrity of goodness:

His sins are rare

Without partners or victims,

But his excellence too

Remains dormant, unexercised.

Is that why God created man?

His universe was too lonely for His virtue,

With only stars to receive his selflessness

And empty void to feel an overwhelming love.

For One Beloved
By Jane Merchant

It is not strange, perhaps, that you should feel

I have small need of you, since I have learned

To live with wounds no balm can ever heal,

And yet remain immediately concerned

With laughter and intensively involved

With all the little daily joys by which

The heart must live, being stubbornly resolved

The narrowest life can be made full and rich.

You are life's richness. But if you deplore

What I have learned of self-sufficiency

And wish that I relied upon you more,

You rob me of hard-won maturity.

I should not dare to keep your love, you know,

Were I not sure that I could let it go.

* February 14 is celebrated
throughout much of the world as
Valentine's Day.

Era, February 1970 27

New Regional Representative

TheLDS
Scene

William Roberts,
president of the Auckland
(New Zealand) Stake,
has been appointed to be a
Regional Representative
of the Council of the
Twelve. Brother Roberts is
assigned to the Auckland
and Hamilton, New
Zealand, regions. He is the
first overseas Regional
Representative to be

called from his homeland.
Brother Roberts, a
retired New Zealand
government officer,
is presently manager of
the Church's translation
and distribution services in
the South Seas, as
well as the Church's real
estate representative.
He joined the Church
in 1952.

YWMIA Centennial Balls Throughout Church Note Founding

Centennial balls in honor of the 100th anniversary

of the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association

have highlighted the 1969-70 MIA year in nearly all

stakes and missions throughout

the Church. Thousands of Latter-day Saints

have enjoyed the festivities that have

generally included beautifully decorated halls, grand

promenades of present and past Church leadership,

floorshows featuring dance styles since 1869,

centennial shops and eating nooks proffering

of Auxiliary

treats of a century ago, displays of YWMIA activities through

the years, costumed dancers and participants,

and the cutting and eating of large birthday cakes,

sparkling with 100 candles. From Australia

to Japan, the Philippines to Argentina, Johannesburg to

Hamburg, and London to Pasadena,

reports and pictures of the successful events have

come to YWMIA headquarters. The "Century of

Sisterhood" appears to be well implanted and

well nourished for another 100 years.

28

Australian Editor

Graham Edis of the
Payneham Ward, Adelaide
(Australia) Stake, has
been appointed managing
editor of Adelaide's
suburban newspaper group,
Messenger Newspapers,
Ltd. The chain publishes
12 weekly newspapers.

Foreign Economics
Development Administrator

Dr. Quentin M. West
has been appointed
administrator of the newly
created Foreign Economics
Development Service of
the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. The new agency
will plan and coordinate
all international
agricultural development,
technical assistance,
and foreign training activities
of the Department of
Agriculture. Brother West
has represented the
United States in various
world conferences. He is
presently a Potomac Stake
Boy Scout leader.

Military Wife of the Year

Jeanine H. Acomb has
been named Fort Riley
(Kansas) Military Wife of the
Year. Sister Acomb,
wife of Lt. Col. Kent M.
Acomb, president of
the Junction City (Kansas)
Branch, won the honor
for leadership in
church, civic, and military
affairs. She is also a
mother of three children.

President of Council
of Graduate Schools

John Boyd Page of
the Ames (Iowa) Branch,
Central States Mission,
and dean of the graduate
school as well as
vice-president for
research at Iowa State
University, has been elected
president of the Council
of Graduate Schools
in the United States. He
will assume the
presidency in July. Brother
Page has made widely
acclaimed advances in
soil physics and soil
chemistry research.

The
Spoken
Word

"The Spoken Word" from
Temple Square, presented
over KSL and the Columbia
Broadcasting System Octo-
ber 26, 1969. © 1969.

By Richard L. Evans

"Has love lasted?"

\ A / hen asked what was most difficult in

\ /\ /marriage-"lt's the little things," she said.
V wThe little traits and thoughtlessness, the
annoying and abrasive trifles all of us seem to have
—and if we emphasize the little things, they may
become overly large. When we see a happy marriage
—not perfect, but a solid, happy, lasting relationship—
we may well ask what the answer is. There is much
that makes a marriage. And always, as the years and
seasons pass, there comes the question: "Has love
lasted? If not," wrote D. Willson, "if not, what has
lost it? What has been beautiful? What has been
difficult? What has . . . life together given these two,
. . . [what has it] taught them?"1 Well, it must have
taught that little things are often larger than they
look: understanding, friendship, and companionship,
along with love— and a little praise and kindness and
encouragement. "Instead of saying to a bride, 'Hold
your husband,' ... we should say, 'Love your hus-
band,'" Margaret W. Jackson said.2 And to a man:
Be faithful, patient, gentle, kind, considerate, and
clean. And there are some other essentials: honesty,
truth, common convictions, character. In marriage one
can scarcely overemphasize character, for without it,
likely love won't last. "The most vicious enemy to
home life is immorality," said President McKay.3 "I
think we are inclined to forget," said Mrs. Jackson,
"that youth and beauty are [after] all . . . only lures.
They are not binders. . . . We stress too much the
externals and forget too much the realities. . . . There
are greater hazards to marriage than attraction for
other people"2— quarreling, pettiness, careless appear-
ance, carelessness in money matters, carelessness in
telling the truth. And virtue— always there must be
virtue, many virtues— and always there must be for-
giving on both sides. With these, with honesty and
character, a marriage can survive both the large and
little things, and be the most satisfying, the most
lasting relationship of life.

'D. Willson, "Recipes for Happy Marriage," Good Housekeeping, June 1934.
2Margaret W. lackson, "Marriage As It Ought To Be," Good Housekeeping, June 1933.
President David O. McKay, general conference address, October 3, 1969.

Era, February 1970 29

Research
& Review

Of

Drugs,

Drinks

and

Morals

By Dr. Elliott D. Landau

Improvement Era

Contributing Editor

Elder Mark E. Petersen of the Council of the Twelve

• One of my professors was fond of
saying, "A certain amount of fleas
is good for a dog — it takes his mind
off being a dog!" In today's tumultuous
times, there is an analogy that oblique-
ly parallels — if such is possible — this
saying. From the shocking array of
figures Elder Mark E. Petersen of the
Council of the Twelve has amassed in
his new and characteristically incisively
worded, pungent assault on the Zeit-
geist (the temper of our times) entitled
Drugs, Drinks and Morals,1 we are
made aware that drugs, drinks, and
morals are, like the fleas around a dog,
taking the minds of youth off becoming
"fit to enter His presence."2
When I am home with my ten-year-

old son, we sometimes like to tussle
and pummel each other with make-
believe blows. Soon I become the
fighter nearly hung up in the ropes,
exhausted, beaten, and battered. Sud-
denly, so the game goes, I recover and
from nowhere come up with a mighty
blow that ends the contest. Similarly,
Elder Petersen's statistics nearly floor
the reader. A large hospital reports an
increase of 400 percent in the number
of youngsters, ages 18 to 20, admitted
with serious mental problems resulting
from the use of drugs. The Associated
Press recently reported that in one
community where 3,000 babies are born
annually, one child in every five will
require mental health service because

The hook Drugs, Drinks and Morals, by Elder Mark E. Petersen of the
Council of the Twelve, has been selected by the Presiding Bishopric and
the Unified Social Services department of the Church as a booklet that all
parents and youth in the Church should be encouraged to read; hence, the
booklet is the subject of this article.

of the stimulants taken by the mothers.
There are 6.5 million alcoholics in
America, and their number grows by
nearly a quarter of a million each year.
In many American cities it is not un-
usual for millions of men to spend up
to $7.00 daily for liquor. In Buffalo,
New York, a check showed that 55 per-
cent of all accidents involve liquor.
Are you in the ropes yet? The Surgeon
General's Office of the United States
Health Department reports that smok-
ing causes 125,000 to 300,000 prema-
ture deaths each year. Three hundred
thousand coronary attacks, two million
new cases of chronic bronchitis and
emphysema, and one million cases of
peptic ulcers are attributed to smoking.
And still more — venereal disease is the
nation's leading communicable disease,
and reports indicate that children as
young as ages eight, nine, and ten are
contracting venereal disease through
promiscuous sexual behavior.

And Brother Petersen, of course, does
come up with the neutralizing blow —
the power and example set by the pre-
cepts of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. He says, " 'Thou
shalt not commit adultery' will forever
stand as an immutable law to all hu-
man beings. This generation may
rationalize itself into complete intoxi-
cation with sin and proclaim to high
heaven that it is old fashioned to be
clean, but it will yet wake up to the
stern reality that God does not change
and that the moral laws are his and not
man's to shift with every whim."3

In a series of drug crisis seminars
held throughout the state of Utah by
the Division of Continuing Education
of the University of Utah, one could
easily extract the essence of the many
messages. Indeed, it is true that this is
a topsy-turvy age; it is true that the
media and the computer have pro-
foundly affected our lives; it is true
that scientific know-how has made it
possible for mountaintop and basement
laboratories to produce LSD, "cut"
heroin, and dilute dosages of other
types of drugs. Still, when there is
"love at home," when there is constant
dialogue between parents and children
(contrasted with the usual verbal at-
tention we give them when we talk
"at" them only for things done wrong) ,
the chances of reverting to drugs and
drinking as a way to solve the perplexi-
ties of human existence are decreased.

All humans face problems. Some
find it impossible to locate anyone who
will listen. Others can't bring them-

30

selves to talk it over with anyone. One
wife angrily said to her husband, "Why
can't you be my friend instead of my
husband?" Similarly, merely being bio-
logical parents doesn't guarantee that
our children will turn to us as part of
the solution to their problems. Ado-
lescents, particularly, face conflicting
emotions as they meet the problems of
friendships, ambitions, sexual conduct,
and social standards. On the one
hand, they wish to be independent in
their solutions. On the other hand,
they want and need to be dependent.
At times you can see what only a few
years previous was a little boy who now
views himself through the glare of a
hostile adolescent's eyes. Not being
able to be cuddled, coddled, or com-
pletely cut-off, too many young people
seek a magical solution to the lumps
of life, and they find it in drugs. This
reversion to pharmacothymic "craving
for drugs, craving for magic" answers is
all too often symptomatic of the fact
that at home, for one reason or an-
other, there isn't the kind of rapport
necessary to open the pathways to deep
parent-child communication. Readers-
beware! I have not said that good
people can't raise poor children. I
have said that even fine folks may not
realize that despite their moral earnest-
ness they may not have created a home
environment in which their children
will willingly "open up."

In general there are three types of
family cultures. These are:

1. The authoritarian family. In this
type of family the father is clearly at
the head of the house. He is the abso-
lute authority. What he says is done
because he says it. Rhyme and rea-
son are unimportant. If he says it, it
is law, it is "the word." The concept of
the priesthood in this family is here
construed as divine authority. As a
result of this authoritarian behavior,
the children in this house learn not
how to communicate but how to evade
the master. Authoritarian rule breeds
submissiveness, evasiveness, dependence
rather than independence, honesty, and
forthrightness. On all family success
evaluations, the authoritarian family
rates low on most items valued by the
standards noted above. In this family
drug and drinking problems are ways
of escaping tyranny.

2. The authoritative family. In this
type of family there is a positive sense
of direction and authority blended with
participatory democracy. Here the
children know who is "boss," but they

also know the reasons for his behavior.
Lines are clearly defined, consistencies
evident, and yet the rationality of be-
havior is a matter for all to understand.
In this type of family there is freedom
and restraint in fair measure. Here
children can explore their problems in
an accepting atmosphere where "no" is
always accompanied by a sensible
explanation. On measures of family
success, this family scores very high.

3. The permissive family. This is
clearly the least desirable family style,
the one most likely to encourage drugs,
drinking, and immorality. There is no
concept in this home of any authority
lines. Freedom abounds in measures
far beyond what children need. In-
variably drug-addicted youngsters face
these families with the cry, "Why
didn't you stop me?" A tolerance for
everything and anything breeds chil-
dren with no discriminatory powers.
Even the authoritarian home is more
desirable than the permissive family
style.

Speaking at a stake conference just
prior to becoming a member of the
Church, I recollect saying, "The prob-
lem with the Mormons who already
consider themselves peculiar is that
they are not peculiar enough." Latter-
day Saints have a clear message for
these modern times. There is no ade-
quate reason for changing this message.
In fact, the dilemma of modern man is
precisely that of being chagrined by the
chaos of an undisciplined society yet
refusing to obey eternal commandments.
The dilemma of the modern Mormon
lies in his comprehension of the need
for clear-cut dogma concerning some
of man's perennial problems of moral-
ity and his desire not to be seen as one
who overly accedes to authority.

Elder Mark E. Petersen tells it as it
is regarding drugs, drinks, and morals.
His answer hasn't changed because
that answer is simply that the Saints
particularly need to move closer to the
fundamentals of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. There is nothing we need look
back to; there is no return to any
Camelot; there is only the resolution
to pattern our individual lives after a
carpenter's simple ways. An old
farmer once put it this way: "It ain't
what I knowed that done me in, 'twas
what I knowed that I didn't do nuthin'
about." O

1 Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company,
1969.

2 Drugs, Drinks and Morals, p. 76.

3 Ibid., p. 74.

Era, February 1970 31

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2511 S.W. Temple • Salt Lake City, Utah 84115

Lest We Forget

The

Wilford Woodruff

Journals

By Albert L. Zobell, Jr.

Research Editor

• As one contemplates the
restoration of the gospel—
the incomparable revelations from
on high, the counsel and the
sermons of the early leaders of
the Church, all of which
have become a way of life for the
Latter-day Saints— one ponders
how marvelously it has been
preserved and recorded.
Much of it came amid a backdrop
of events that were tempered
with oppression and fed by
hatreds born of the
misunderstanding of those who
shared that American frontier.

In a reminiscent mood,
Elder Wilford Woodruff of the
Council of the Twelve addressed
Saints of the Southern Utah
Mission, assembled at St. George,
on the Sabbath afternoon
of June 10, 1877. There
he recalled that whenever he
had heard the Prophet Joseph Smith
deliver a sermon or a prophecy,
or give a revelation, he had
written it in his personal journal.
He believed that he had a
special gift from God,
because even when he did not
have a pencil and paper with him,
he could, after hearing the
Prophet, go home and write the
Prophet's words almost verbatim;
but after he had completed the
writing, the sermon would
pass from his mind, as though
he had never heard it.

At the time he did these
things in the early days of the

Church, he apparently

did not understand that this

habit of recording the words of

the Prophet Joseph Smith

was a calling directly from God.

But as he saw the subsequent

history of the Church unfold,

Illustrated by Dale Kilbourn

32 Era, February 1970

wherein many of the records
were lost, sometimes through the
apostasy of those charged
with the responsibility of keeping
them, he discovered the
importance of his journals.
Where the Church did not
have historical records, the
Wilford Woodruff journals proved
very serviceable as a substitute.

Elder Woodruff related
that he had stood in the
congregation as the Prophet Joseph
Smith had eulogized King
Follett, all the time recording the
sermon.

Elder Follett had died in
an accident at Nauvoo on
March 9, 1844, and his funeral
had been held the following
day. Then on Sunday,
April 7, 1844, during the general
conference, the Prophet took
occasion to address about
twenty thousand Saints in what
has become known as the
"King Follet Discourse."
The open-air meeting began at
"quarter past three p.m."

The footnote on page 302
of the Documentary History of the
Church, Volume 6, says: "This
was not a stenographic
report, but a carefully and
skillfully prepared one made by
these men [Willard Richards,
Wilford Woodruff, Thomas
Bullock, and William Clayton]
who were trained in reporting and
taking notes. Evidently, there
are some imperfections
in the report and some thoughts
expressed by the Prophet
which were not fully rounded
out and made complete. . . ."

The sermon, as it was there
written, fills 16 pages of the
Documentary History of the
Church.

"The difference between
President Brigham Young and
myself," Elder Woodruff
told the members at St. George,

was that, in substance,
President Young remembered
the sayings of the Prophet Joseph
in a most wonderful manner,
while he, Elder Woodruff,
had written the sayings of
the Prophet.

Elder Woodruff was called as
a member of the Council of
the Twelve in April 1839.
He was President of the Council
of the Twelve at the passing of
President John Taylor in
July 1887 and became President

of the Church April 7, 1889.
He kept an accurate journal of his
activities in the Church
beginning in 1833. On
August 31, 1898, he recorded
in his journal, in one of its last
entries, that he wrote three
letters from San Francisco,
California. Two days later,
President George Q. Cannon, his
first counselor, penned in the
journal that President Woodruff
had passed away peacefully
at 6:40 a.m., September 2, 1898. O

The
Spoken Word

"The Spoken Word" from
Temple Square, presented over
KSL and the Columbia Broad-
casting System November 2, 1969.
©1969.

"If something needs doing . . ."

By Richard L. Evans

If something needs doing, do it; the more plainly, directly, honestly,
the better."1 These words of David Starr Jordan suggest two facets of
an insistent subject, namely, the remorse that comes from doing what
we shouldn't do, and the frustration that comes from not doing what
we should do. To look a moment at the latter: There are many reasons
for not moving forward effectively: timidity, indolence, indecision, lack
of encouragement, fear of failure. But foremost among them would
seem to be indecision. And so the years go by, with many wishing to
do differently, to develop, to lift their lives; but habits, obligations, in-
difference, or sometimes simply not knowing how, keep many from
trying, from getting going. We all waste time in indecision. We all waste
opportunities, and if we would put a meter on ourselves, we would
find we waste much time in brooding, drifting, wishing, worrying. And
too often we seem resigned to settling for what we are rather than for
what we could become. And yet, all progress, all improvement in any
process have come because someone assumed that something could be
better done and was willing to try to do it— often humble, unpretentious
people who simply used a little common sense. On the personal side,
we often excuse ourselves for delaying what we know we ought to do
—delaying learning, teaching, taking time for our children; delaying the
settling of quarrels, clearing up misunderstandings with our loved ones,
being a little kinder; delaying breaking bad habits, meeting obligations,
repenting, keeping the commandments, and finding personal peace.
". . . men should ... do many things of their own free will"2— and life
can take on new and solid satisfaction if we commit ourselves to facing
facts, to doing what should be done. "If something needs doing, do it;
the more plainly, directly, honestly, the better."

1Dr. David Starr Jordan, The Call of the Twentieth Century.
2Doctrine and Covenants 58:27.

Era, February 1970 33

Teaching

Conducted by the
Church School System

• Goal setting has long been recog-
nized as one of the marks of good
leadership. Such slogans as "Reach
for the Stars," "Set Your Sights
High," and "Think Big" have been
used to encourage leaders to set

By Seth D. Redford

Coordinator of seminaries and institutes
in Western Oregon and Eastern Idaho

their goals high. The leaders who
are most successful are those who
have well-defined goals, and it is
through a process of planning that
goal setting becomes a vital part of
any success formula.

A short time ago, while riding to
Boise, Idaho, from Salt Lake City,
the writer asked his traveling com-
panion, "What do you want to be
in life?"

"I do not really know," replied

34

the companion. "I have never really
thought about it. I get up in the
morning, do my work during the
day, and go to bed at night. I have
never really stopped to wonder just
what I do want to be."

Statements like this are startling
to Latter-day Saints. Most of them
have been practicing goal setting
since their childhood.

A group of men were hunting
chukar partridge on the Owyhee
slopes of southern Idaho. Just as
they left their car, a large flock of
partridge took to the air. One
hunter pointed his gun at the whole
flock and pulled the trigger. Not a
feather dropped. What was wrong?
How could he have missed? He
was "flock shooting." Any experi-
enced hunter has learned this les-
son: If you want to have partridge
for supper, you must set your
sights on one bird at a time, lead
him, and then carefully squeeze
the trigger. Goal setting is like
hunting: if you want to accomplish
a task, center your attention upon
the objective.

President Paul H. Dunn of the
First Council of the Seventy has
given a good example of bull's-eye
goal setting by drawing three cir-
cles, one inside the other. He said,
"In the outer circle are 'things that
are nice to know.' In the next
circle are 'things that we should
know.' But in the center circle are
'things we must know.' ' Teachers
must first focus their teaching upon
the things students must know. A
teacher who concentrates on the
pure doctrine of Christ (from the
standard works of the Church) will
find his goals reached in the testi-
monies of the lives of his students.

Jim Jones, in his book If You Can
Count to Four, states, "You can be
successful if you can count to four."
He lists four keys to achieving a
goal:

1. Identify your objective.

2. Act like the person who has

already reached the goal.

3. Don't let anyone talk you out
of it.

4. Listen for the ideas from the
subconscious which will help you
achieve your desired goal.

LDS leadership would rephrase
the fourth item of Mr. Jones' dis-
cussion: Listen to the promptings
of the Holy Spirit, and it will guide
you toward your righteous goals.

Goals are set in five major areas:
lifetime goals, annual goals, month-
ly goals, weekly goals, and daily
goals.

1. Lifetime goals. Every teacher
and every leader should set life-
time goals. A lifetime goal for a
Latter-day Saint should be to some-
time dwell with God and his Son
Jesus Christ in the highest degree
of the celestial kingdom. Such a
lofty goal is not reached in a single
stride.

"For he will give unto the faith-
ful line upon line, precept upon
precept; and I will try you and
prove you herewith.

"And whoso layeth down his life
in my cause, for my name's sake,
shall find it again, even life eternal."
(D&C 98:12-13.)

2. Annual goals. Annual goals
point the direction for a single year.
Teachers would do well to meditate
for some time upon needs before
setting their annual goals. Annual
goals for a teacher may read some-

10 Working Conditions

Appreciation for good work

Filling in on things

Help with personal problems

Job security

Good wages

Work that keeps them interested

Possibility for promotion

Personal loyalty to workers

Good working conditions

Tactful discipline

thing like the following items:

a. I will prepare a lesson plan
for each class taught during the
coming year.

b. I will give each student my
personal attention.

c. I will see that the class offi-

"Monthly goal planning

should answer

the 'W formula: what,

where,when,why, who?"

cers are carefully chosen and
trained and that they function in
their assignments.

d. I will live my life in such a
way that I may have the constant
companionship of the Holy Spirit
in preparation and in delivery.

e. I will live as an example for
each of the students whom I teach.

A few years ago, at a western
states convention for supervisors at
Denver, Colorado, the following
chart in human relations was dis-
played. It depicts the things that
supervisors and workers think are
important. With this kind of
knowledge, a supervisor may be
more qualified to set his yearly
goals.

Importance

as felt by the

Worker

1

Importance

as felt by the

Supervisor

8

2

10

3

9

4

2

5

1

6

5

7

3

8

6

9

4

10

7

Era, February 1970 35

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3. Monthly goals. Class officers
and teachers and the organizational
leadership should sit down in a
monthly planning conference, where
the goals for the month should be
set. Leaders should keep in mind
that monthly goals are part of the
annual goals that have already been
set. Monthly goal planning should
take into consideration the season
of the year, the current monthly
meetings of the organization, and
the areas that need particular at-
tention. Monthly goals should be
more concerned with specific events
and conditions of the particular
month. Such goal planning should
answer the "W" formula questions:
What, Where, When, Why, Who,
and possibly How. Leadership will
be more successful if sufficient time
is given for the monthly planning
meeting and if all necessary leader-
ship is present. In this meeting
annual goals are narrowed down to
more specific action, and the bull's-
eye of responsibility is identified.

The story is told of a great king
who was teaching his three sons in
the forest. He said to the first son,
"Raise your bow to your shoulder
but do not fire." The son raised
his bow to his shoulder. "What do
you see?" asked the father.

"I see a great eagle against the
blue sky background," replied the
son.

"Hold your fire," said the father.
Repeating the same to the second
son, the father said, "What do you
see?"

"I see an eagle flying high in the
sky."

The father said, "Hold your fire."
He said to the third son, "Raise your
bow to your shoulder but do not
fire. What do you see?"

And the third son said, "I see the
wing bone, where the wing is con-
nected to the body." (This is a
vital spot on the eagle. ) The father
said, "Fire, my son."

The goal or objective during the

36

monthly planning meeting must be
clearly defined if the leader would
accomplish the task.

4. Weekly goals. During the
weekly planning meetings, goals are
not usually set. Rather, these
meetings are check-up meetings to
(a) see if goals are being accom-
plished, (b) determine what items
need to be rescheduled, and (c)
make new assignments. Weekly
planning sessions should be sche-
duled at a definite time when all
of the leadership can be present.

5. Daily goals. To keep in the
area of "must know" or "must do,"
daily goals are set. Most generally,
such goal setting is confined to the
individual. One great statesman
said, "I sit down each morning and
say to myself, 'What are the five
most important things I must do
today?' " Then he marks them down
in the order of their importance. As
he starts his daily work he concen-
trates on the most important thing
first. This kind of daily goal setting
keeps him in the area of the most
important thing first.

If we would reach exaltation and
eternal life, we must know "of
things both in heaven and in the
earth, and under the earth; things
which have been, things which are,
things which must shortly come to
pass. . . ." (D&C 88:79.) "The glory
of God is intelligence, or, in other
words, light and truth." (D&C
93:36. ) "It is impossible for a man
to be saved in ignorance." (D&C
131:6.) ". . . men are, that they
might have joy." (2 Ne. 2:25.) Joy
comes from achievement. We can-
not be satisfied with being medi-
ocre. We must strive to be more
perfect.

When we teach, let us remem-
ber we are teaching a child of God.
When we administer in the offices
assigned to us in the Church, we
are acting in the name of God. This
earth is a testing ground for each
individual in the human family.

Every son and daughter of God is
important. Our Heavenly Father
loves us and wants us to live the
full measure of our creation. "And
this is life eternal, that they might
know thee the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
(John 17:3.)

Goals that are set upon the bull's-
eye of need, in the "must know,"
"must do" area, will help teachers
and leaders become successful in
their assignments. Students who are
taught by teachers with an eternal
goal and a celestial plan are favored
in the sight of God. O

The
Spoken Word

"The Spoken Word" from Temple
Square, presented over KSL and
Columbia Broadcasting System.
November 23, 1969© 1969.

The world owes me a living . . . ?

By Richard L. Evans

There is this— so often said— or supposed: "The world owes me
a living." But when God gave man the earth he said, ". . .
subdue it."1 And subduing a world takes work. It was not
intended that we should have all the earth has to offer, without effort.
Work is a blessing, an absolute essential. But who or what is this world
that is supposed to owe all of us everything? Surely parents owe chil-
dren love and care and encouragement— providing for and teaching
and training. Surely children owe parents respect and love and kindly
attention, and care, as may be needed, especially later in life. No
parent should be left in loneliness. And surely men owe other men
compassionate service and assistance. But if we are speaking of this
wonderful planet, it is very impersonal. And it will not produce every-
thing for all of us— or for any of us— without work. But if, when we
say the world owes us a living, we are talking about people, this is
all of us together. And all of us owe it to ourselves to make the most
of ourselves. And since there are always those who, in one way or
another, are unable fully to care for themselves, we need to produce
more than we consume, and everyone who can should do all he can.
But it isn't reasonable for anyone simply to sit down and say, "The
world owes me a living." There is no magic about it. Someone has
to think; someone has to plan; someone has to save; someone has to
plow and plant; someone has to manage. Someone has to do every-
thing. Everything has to be done. Nothing does itself. Someone has to
produce or pay for everything in one way or another. There is an ex-
change of values in all relationships of life, and instead of saying the
world owes me a living, this could be a very good time to say thank
God for being alive, for opportunity, and for the willingness to make
the most of it. To cite part of an old poem:

". . . For great and low there's but one test

'Tis that each one shall do his best;

Who works with all the strength he can,

Shall never die in debt to man."2

'Gen. 1:28.
2Author unknown.

Era, February 1970 37

How to Get aGoin^
Family Organization
Going

By Bill R. Linder

• Did you know that you can form a family association
with as few as two or three people? Since in a wink
you can think of at least one or more others who are
interested in one of your family lines, here's what you
and a group can do and how it will help you in your
genealogical research. .

First, find out who are the others who are interested
in the line you choose to work on (choose only one
line). Not long ago Mrs. Anne B. Inman, then presi-
dent of Mississippi's largest chapter of the Daughters

of the American Revolution, told me she had never
started work on a new line without discovering that
there was someone already working on it who had
"set the stage." Many times there is not just one
person; there are several at work. "The problem," Mrs.
Inman, a researcher for many years, said, "is finding
those workers before you go over the same ground
they've discovered."

How do you find them? Most of the time it's easy.
The most widely used and most successful finding
aids are the numerous genealogical publications on
the market. There are national, regional, state, county,
city— you name it— genealogical periodicals available,
nearly all of which carry "query" sections. If your
line runs into a particular locale, advertise that fact in
the appropriate periodicals, and search the periodicals
to see if other people are advertising for you.

Provision will* also be made under the Genealogical
Society's new GIANT system for persons working on
the same lines to make contact with each other. This
will replace the former Pedigree Referral Service.

If, after considerable searching, you don't find any-

Bill R. Linder has founded several successful family organiza-
tions and research teams. He originated the idea for the
World Conference on Records and served as its program
chairman until October 1968. Formerly publications editor
for the Genealogical Society, he now lives in Vienna, Virginia,
and is a management analyst with the National Archives and
Records Service in Washington, D.C.

38

one working on the line you select, you are not yet
to the family organization stage for that line. But if
you do find several people, and if they live close by,
the next step is to call a meeting in your home. If the
people you find are scattered from Falls Church,
Virginia, to San Diego, California, omit the meeting
and start writing letters. Either way, you and your
new friends should decide on a plan of action.

At this point, how you go about organizing and the
selection of officers are minor considerations. The
foremost action items are to get together ( or in touch )
with at least one or two others, decide what you are
going to do, write it down, divide up the work, and
then go to work.

Once your research team has started work, you
have planted the seed for an eventual going organiza-
tion. Now that you are underway, as you discuss plans
and actually work with fellow team members, you'll
find that ideas snowball. Officers, dues, a quarterly
newsletter, a family reunion— all of these will come in
due time. Over a period of months or years, your
official family organization will emerge.

The family organization generally has as its major
goal the compiling and recording of genealogical and
historical information pertaining to the common an-
cestors of its members. Cooperation in genealogical
research through the family organization is one of the
most successful means of extending and proving pedi-
grees and compiling family genealogies. The family
organization promotes coordination of research among
individuals researching the same family lines, affords
opportunities for specialization in research, pools time
and money resources, channels wise use of resources,
and fosters fellowship and understanding among its
members. Frequent association with other members in
family organizations, through both personal contact
and correspondence, brings definite feelings of con-
cern for family and greater appreciation of family ties.
By working with others of the group, each member
becomes family oriented and feels he is a part of a big
family operation.

The family organization or research team specializ-

ing in one surname is a sound, logical way to solve
"dead-end" problems. The Taylors, the Williamses, the
Stephenses, the Hayneses, the Stewarts, and many
others have such groups underway. These are united
efforts to squeeze out of the existing available records
all the genealogical data pertaining to a given family.
Within a relatively short time, a cooperating group of
researchers is able to become the research center for
the family. Usually, central files are established and
indexes and cross-reference files are made. Coopera-
tion is the byword. Free sharing and exchange of in-
formation is the order of the day. The genealogical
community benefits greatly from these groups. Every-
one does. So will you. Have fun! O

Getting Started

EXAMPLE. Many members of the Locke family, descendants
of Thomas Locke of Virginia, who migrated westward, are
living in Missouri. Bryan Locke, a young man from Jefferson
City, Missouri, for several months sought correspondents to
find out more about the Locke family and to meet some of his
Locke relatives. He compiled a card file of names and
addresses of over 100 living persons to whom he was related.
Bryan discovered that about 20 of these were very interested
in the family. The family organization plan seemed very
logical to Bryan, and since he had discovered no such
organization already in existence, a special meeting was
called to organize. To set up the special meeting, Bryan sent
detailed letters to the 20 vitally interested persons, outlining
the advantages of organizing. He mentioned some possible
goals the organization could set and his ideas of a sound
organization structure. When all the arrangements were
made, all the persons whose names appeared in the file of
addresses were invited to the meeting. Twenty-six persons
attended the special meeting, and a fully organized Thomas
Locke Family Organization was the result.

EXAMPLE. Several descendants of the Wimberly family of
early Georgia were in frequent communication by mail, in-
forming one another of family activities and assisting each
other in Wimberly genealogical research. These individuals
were widely scattered geographically — two living in Texas,
one in California, several in Georgia and Florida, and one
each in Idaho and Utah. Occasionally other individuals from
yarious areas would join in the correspondence. The idea was
put forth to organize the Wimberly family. Among themselves
and by mail, these corresponding individuals agreed on ap-
pointments to. fill the offices that all felt were necessary.
An efficient Wimberly Family Organization was soon in opera-
tion. With the pooling of effort and wise use of resources,
the organization rapidly gained momentum and membership.
Within a few months, the organization boasted a membership
of 75, with a quarterly family publication keeping the mem-
bers interested and informed, and yet none of the officers
had ever met.

Success Tips

1. Involve as many family members as possible in activities
and research projects.

2. Provide definite and worthwhile services for contributing
members.

3. Establish active communications through a quarterly
family periodical.

4. Acquire youth, enthusiasm for genealogy, and leadership
qualities in leadership positions.

Era, February 1970 39

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TheCostof
Alcohol

* Delegates to the United States Con-
ference on Alcohol Problems in Wash-
ington, D.C., in the fall of 1968 were
given the following data concerning
man's relationship with alcohol:

"Alcohol is the largest single factor
in the deaths of three Americans per
hour on the highway."

"Alcohol causes at least half of the
1,000 weekly auto fatalities."

"Over 10 percent of the adult drink-
ing population are alcoholics."

"Alcohol is the chief contributor to
poverty which, in turn, drives men to
desperate and violent actions to ac-
quire money or possessions."

"Alcohol is a significant contributor
to the more than $7 billion in industrial
losses per year."

"Even a little 'social drinking' can
result in a vast amount of brain dam-
age."

At the conference, a former justice
of the high court of Punjab, India, noted
that the greatest contributors to the
alcohol problem are the "apathy and
indifference of the common man." (Re-
search Report, Number 20, published by
National Liberty Life Insurance Com
pany, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.) O

40 Era, February 1970

Marion D. Hanks, Editor

Elaine Cannon, Associate Editor

We love you, mini-moneyed students,
You maxi-hearted missionaries
(No mini-spirits, you!),
You uptight, earth-bound visionaries,
And you who pluck guitar strings,
As well as you who make the scenes;
You whose fingers boast ten rings,
You who work on cars and things,

and you who sell

and you who paint,

or work on docks

unloading freight,

or hoe the corn,

or sing the songs,

or count the cash,

or right the wrongs

Era, February 1970 41

We love you . . . every one!

All you who tend the stables, control cab]

Tell kids fables, paint old gables,

Sew on labels, read of Babel,

Pitch the ball or just walk tall —

We love you . . . every one!

We love you best for your involvement,
You who care about your "neighbor,"
Whatever his race or type or status;
For his rights you're quick to labor.

Oh, we love your high-blown idiom,
Oh, wow! you tell it like it is.
It's your syndrome, it's your fancy
Phrases earmarked hers and his.

We love

Your penchant for authenticity,

Your sophisticated simplicity,

Your up-with-change, down-on-duplicity,

Your joie de vivre felicity—

We love you . . . every one!

Though we weary being relevant,
Tire of dialogue and rhetoric prevalent
With words well-worn of vague define,
We send you all this Valentine—
We love you . . . every one!

Era, February 1970 43

• Much energy and effort are expended by our modern civiliza-
tion in penetrating outer space, plumbing the ocean's depths,
exploring the polar regions, and investigating the infinite com-
plexities of our nuclear world. While all of this goes on, a
multitude of social ills beset our society and pose particular
problems for many of our young generation who are threatened
by them.

How do wise young men feel about these various challenges?
What kind of "trip" most effectively captures their imaginations?

For those who get a fair exposure to Exploring (like the
ones in the accompanying photographs), the answer is loud
and clear: they'll take the lure of real adventure anytime — and
do so in preference to car, girlfriend, or other extraneous elements
in their lives that can be set aside temporarily in pursuit of true
challenge!

History, ancient and modern, offers its select list of heroes
for rugged, right-thinking youth to follow, and two of the most
significant of these heroes figure importantly in the Lake Powell
country. John Wesley Powell explored the Green and Colorado
rivers in 1869, making a perilous exploration of the Grand Canyon

44

J*

I

of the Colorado. Another man
named Powell — Robert Baden-
Powell — a general returning to
England from Africa in the
early 1900s, saw a need for a
program in Great Britain that
would develop manhood and
maturity in young men, and so
he organized Scouting for boys.
Shortly after Boy Scouting
came to America in 1910, it
was adopted by the Church
and has been a vital part of the
Church's work with young men
ever since.

Explorer Scouting, a program
with special appeal for mature
Scouts, encompasses physical
programs of sports and outdoor
activities, exposure to voca-
tional pursuits vital in our
technical age, social life, in-
cluding wholesome association
with young women, and spiri-
tual development necessary in
building good character and
good citizenship.

Exploring for young men can
mean challenging a wilderness
habitat, learning the ways of
the wilds under the direction
of qualified adults. As an exam-
ple of the real pioneering in-
volved, four national Explorer
landmarks have been located
and named by Explorer groups
within the state of Utah during
the past 20 years: Explorer
Peak, 12,879 feet high in the
midst of the Uintah wilderness
area; George Albert Smith
Arch, centered in the new Can-
yonlands National Park; Ex-
plorer Canyon, through which
flows the lower Escalante River,
highlighted in the July 1967
edition of National Geographic

Era, February 1970 45

magazine; and Shaw Arch, lo-
cated in the Grand Gulch of the
San Juan River.

Since World War II, avail-
able leadership and equipment
have permitted many thousands
of young men to explore the
Colorado River and its tribu-
taries, and thousands more are
regularly plying the great 186-
mile Lake Powell Reservoir,
formed by the building of Glen
Canyon Dam.

How are adventure pro-
grams promoted and accom-
plished in Exploring? The blend
of challenge and effort and ex-
perienced leadership revealed
in the answer explains the lure
of true Exploring.

First, there is reconnoitering
by aircraft. Research is done on
maps and photographs, and
experts are called.

The Explorers are trained and
equipped to enter the chosen
area with a planned schedule
of Exploring day by day. For
instance, in the recent initial
investigation of unexplored
Dark Canyon, on upper Lake
Powell, Explorers traveled by
bus 300 miles, by sheriff's jeep
patrol 100 miles, hiked 30 miles
with back packs, and were
evacuated at the completion of
the expedition by power boats
for 15 miles. Aircraft checked
the group en route.

For young men with a yen
for real adventure and a yearn-
ing for doing something worth
remembering, something that
stretches their brainpower, in-
genuity, courage, and endur-
ance, Explorer Scouting is a
first-rate answer! O

INAUGURAL

46

'.'.■■

AbraharrfShit

'as born

February 12, 11

d assas-

sinated April 1

* Y

5. With

the legacy of

■Cfflr

on pre-

served from d

on, this

perhaps greate

A

merican

presidents left posterity some
of the truly noble literature of
the ages. One of his most
significant gifts is the ad-
dress he delivered at his sec-
ond inaugural. We reprint it
here with the hope and prayer
that the genius and inspiration
of it will reach Latter-day youth
across a troubled world. It
can if you will read it thought-
fully. Please do. — The Editors

• Fellow-Countrymen: At this second appearing to take the oath of the presi-
dential office, there is less occasion for an extended address than there was
at the first. Then a statement somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued
seemed very fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during
which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and
phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the
energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented.

The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well
known to the public as to myself; and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and
encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to
it is ventured.

On the occasion corresponding to this, four years ago, all thoughts were
anxiously directed to an impending civil war. AIJ dreaded it; all sought to
avoid it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place,
devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were in
the city seeking to destroy it without war — seeking to dissolve the Union and
divide the effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war; but one of
them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would
accept war rather than let it perish; and the war came.

One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed
generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves
constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was
somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this
interest, was the object for which the insurgents would rend the union even
by war, while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the
territorial enlargement of it.

Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which
it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict
might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked
for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding.

Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes
his aid against the others. It may seem strange that any men should dare to
ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other
men's faces; but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of
both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The
Almighty has his own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses, for
it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense
cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of these offenses,
which in the providence of God must needs come, but which, having continued
through his appointed time, he now wills to remove, and that he gives to both
North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense
came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes
which the believers in a living God always ascribe to him? Fondly do we hope,
fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may soon pass away.
Yet, if God will that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondman's two
hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop
of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid with another drawn with the sword;
as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, "The judgments
of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right
as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in,
to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle
and for his widow and orphans, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just
»"H a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. o

Era, February 1970 47

''-':. tl-',-:- ■..■'. 'r'-i', ■■;.-■

48

The Date:

January 18, 1970

The Subject:

Responses of young people
to news of the death of
President David O. McKay

Question:

What influence did Presi-
dent McKay have on your
life?

"He just glowed with love.''''

"He was like a partner in
our home at all times."

"The older he got, the
younger he looked and
talked."

"He never chastised any-
one— he just put his arm
of love around the world."

"When President McKay
died, we felt that we had
lost someone in our own
family."

"We have lost a personal
friend."

"If only the young people
today will remember his
teachings."

What teachings of Presi-
dent McKay do you remem-
ber best?

"Love thy mother and
father all the days of our
lives."

iiBe clean in mind and
body, always."

"Smile."

"Be reverent every day,
not just on Sunday."

"Pray together."

"Read good books."

"Study the scriptures."

"Hate no one."

"Be pleasant and courteous
to everyone."

"Dress modestly — our Fa-
ther in heaven is watch-
ing."

"Marriage: the temple way
is the only way."

"Contemplating where he
is now made me think of
how he feels now to be
greeting Christ, after the
personal relationship he's
had with him. It made me
consider how my own rela-
tionship with Christ should
be."

President David 0. McKay Spoke to Youth:

My experience with the young leads me to
believe that there was never a time when
youth more sincerely sought the truthT when
they were more responsive to assignments
made in the Church, when they were more ob-
servant of the ideals for which this church
stands.

*

*

*

Though not the wisest, youth is the best, the
most radiant time of life.

* * *

Indulgence does not strengthen youth or man-
hood; restraint and self-control do.

* * *

Let us also teach girls that motherhood is

divine, for when we touch the creative part
of life, we enter into the realm of divinity.

* * *

Youth — conviction — courage make a com-
bination potentially capable of determining
the kind of world we shall live in.

* * *

Young men and young women, the future
awaits you! It is yours! Whether it is better
to walk along the easy road of selfishness and
indulgence than to strive through self-
mastery and service for the realm of spiritu-
ality, you must decide. "Whether it is better
to serve God than man, judge ye."

* * *

Yours now the task to carry on!

Era, February 1970 49

Peop/e We Wont 7b Know More About

Biographical background: Dr.

Virginia Cutler was born in Park City,
Utah. She married Ralph Garr Cutler
in the Salt Lake Temple in 1929, and
two years later, her husband died,
leaving her with two small sons. Dr.
Cutler received her B.S. degree from
the University of Utah in 1926, her
M.A. from Stanford University in 1937,
and her Ph.D. from Cornell University
in 1946. She has been professor and
head of the Home Economics Depart-
ment at the University of Utah, visiting
professor at the universities of Wash-
ington and Idaho, and dean of the

College of Family Living, Brigham
Young University. She served as a
technical adviser in Southeast Asia,
spending two years in Thailand and
five years in Indonesia. For the past
three years she has been a Fulbright
professor and head of the Home Sci-
ence Department at the University of
Ghana. Her honors and achievements
include many publications, magazine
contributions, and being listed in na-
tional honorary organizations. For
many years she was a member of the
general board of the Young Women's
Mutual Improvement Association.

Interviewer: We would be interested to know if there has been one
particular experience that helped to develop your testimony or that
helped to crystallize your attitude toward the Church.

Dr. Cutler: I will have to go back to the time when I received a patri-
archal blessing. That blessing — I've considered it a sacred document
that I've used all my life — has been a guide directed to me. The
promise was given to me that I would be a teacher, that I would teach
at home and abroad, and that many people would be influenced by
my teachings. It promised that the way would be opened for me
to get a good education. It also mentioned something about my
sons. Those things have come to pass. Of course, I think that
using it as a guide has helped things come to pass.

This blessing was really the guiding directive for me in de-
ciding that I must go away to school after my husband died, that I
must support my children and take care of them, and that I must
have a home. All of these things have come about because of that
blessing.

I believed in the blessing so strongly that I went away to Stan-
ford University, although it was during the depression and at a very
difficult time. I had been able to pay for the house that we had
built before we were married. I had received a little insurance money
at my husband's death, but not very much. Two weeks after his
death, I started to teach. I saved and paid off the house. As soon
as I got it paid for, I decided to go to school.

I had only $100, so I borrowed $200 from my sister. I had a
little Ford car — -it was not even a Model A. I bought a gallon of
paint and painted my car so it would look real nice. I bought one
new dress, took my little boys, and off we went. When we got to
Stanford, I applied for a scholarship but was told it was too late,
that everything was taken, and that there was no chance until the
next year. They told me to add my name to a list of applicants if
I wanted to. There were six pages of names, typewritten and single-
spaced, but I told them to add my name to the list anyway.

Two weeks later I received a call from the secretary's office. One
person had sent word that she couldn't use her scholarship because
of illness in her family, so they had one available. It happened to
be the Henry Newell scholarship, which had been given by a very

50

Dr: V/rg/n/o

Cut/er

By Rich Boyer and Jim Jardine

wealthy man from Utah. He had specified that with all qualifications
being equal, a person from Utah should have the first choice. They
went through the six pages of names, and mine was the only one
from Utah. So, the way opened up just as it was promised. And the
way opened up all the way along everywhere I went.

Interviewer: We would like you to comment on how you handled the
dual role of homemaker and professional person.

Dr. Cutler: When circumstances forced me to be the breadwinner
as well as the mother, I felt that I should get the very best education
possible and that I must do everything I could for my family as well
as for my church. I just proceeded on that basis.

My responsibilities often did not give me the quantity of time
that I wanted with my boys, so I tried to make the quality as high as
possible. We really tried to make the time we had together count
so the boys would understand that they had their roots deep in the
Church and in the community.

Wherever we lived we always bought a house; then we would
fix it up. The boys would paint it and put on the roof or do what-
ever had to be done — they had to do the work. We all worked to-
gether. We had so many projects and so many things to do after
I returned home from my work that we were working together all
the time.

Interviewer: You speak proudly of your sons. What did you do with
them? It sounds as if you had something like the family home
evening program.

Dr. Cutler: We had that every day! I felt that because the boys didn't
have a father, I needed to do everything I could to let them feel that
they were secure and that their roots were really there in the com-
munity. Each of them seemed to have some special talents, and I
did all I could to encourage them.

About the time one of them started to learn to write, he also
started doing some wood carvings. At first, he used soap — we had
so many soap carvings that we could do the washing with them for
months. We made all kinds of animals and all sorts of things. I put
them on the mantel and made a special point of letting our guests
know about these carvings. That encouraged him, and he's a plastic
surgeon today. I know that one of the reasons he chose that profes-
sion is because he developed a related interest with his carvings.

There were so many things the boys could do. They could
hardly wait until they got home from school to start working on some
of the projects they had. I never had any problems with their
wanting to go other places, because all the other children in the
neighborhood came to our house to see what we were doing.

Interviewer: You mentioned buying houses so your sons could sink
roots into the community as well as into the Church. Sometimes
members of the Church see the Church as the community, but it
seems that you make a differentiation. How much of an involvement
do you think we ought to have in community activities?
Dr. Cutler: I feel strongly that we should be part of the community
around us wherever we live. I wanted my children to get acquainted

Photos by BYU

Era, February 1970 51

with all the children in the neighborhood so that they could learn
how other people live. I felt that we had our standards to take with
us wherever we would go and that we should get acquainted with
everyone and accept them with their differences and do everything
possible for the community. I've felt that way all my life.

Interviewer: What do you see as the role of the home in contemporary
society? It's not hard to tell that it's changing — and sometimes not
for the better.

Dr. Cutler: The family is the basic unit of society. If you have a
strong family, a strong home, and very close ties with the Church
through the home, you will have a strong society. It spreads out to
the community and to the state and to the nation. I feel that it takes
great thought and planning to avoid making our homes like camps
where we sort of live picnic style. Some come in, grab something to
eat, and are on their way to a meeting or activity.

Some people move about without really developing the type of
spirit in the home that is absolutely essential. This spirit sort of
came naturally when most people were living on farms and everyone
was taking some responsibility. But times have changed, and now
it really boils down to being good managers. We need excellent
management in the home today to develop good values and to work
out worthwhile objectives for the family so all members feel that
they are cooperating and sharing.

Interviewer: What specific advice would you give young women in the
Church as they look toward becoming homemakers?

Dr. Cutler: I would advise them to be prepared for a profession as
well as to take care of their homes. I think that having a profession
that serves both home and society is the ideal kind. My own, for
example, has been that kind.

We used to call it home economics; we now call it family living
here at BYU. We have different departments in this college that
prepare one to work in fields related to the home and children. For
example, if you are interested in nutrition, you can go into that
field, and so on. Having some general background in these different
areas can help a girl be much more competent in carrying the re-
sponsibilities that she will have in her home. This can pay in two
ways. Everything she learns, she can use in her home, and she can
also'use the knowledge to earn a living, if necessary.

Interviewer: From your experience derived from being in many coun-
tries for extended periods and from your background in home science,
do you have any general advice for us and our generation?

Dr. Cutler: The world is getting smaller and smaller, and we should
be acquainted with what is happening in other parts of the world.
As it becomes smaller in terms of transportation and communication,
the world can also expand for the individual. I think this needs to
happen to each one of us so that we can expand our knowledge. It
used to be that it didn't matter if you knew anything about what was
going on in Ghana or in South Africa, but today we need to expand
our knowledge as far as we can. Each of us needs to make his world
very, very big. O

52

By Susan H. Flick

Is your pattern choice in keep-
ing with Church standards?

Have you altered yourself
so that the gospel fits well?

Are you cut on the straight
grain? Or on the bias?

Is all nap leading the same
direction — toward the celestial
kingdom?

Do you "seam" completely over-
cast? flat felled? a little frayed? or
pinked and perky?

Xxxx*

Have you added just the right
amount of trim?

Do you stitch straight ahead?
back stitch? slip stitch? or cross

stitch?

>^.

Is the product (up to now) one
you are proud of?

Era, February 1970 53

LDSSA

Student association leaders from Boston to San
Diego and from Edmonton to El Paso met in Salt
Lake City to attend the Latter-day Saint Student Asso-
ciation national convention. Lambda Delta Sigma,
Sigma Gamma Chi, and Delta Phi Kappa chapter
presidents were also in attendance. Latter-day Saint
students from more than 300 campuses were repre-
sented at meetings held under the direction of Elder
Marion D. Hanks, LDSSA managing director.

Highlights of the conference:

A Meeting of the Minds

Church leaders listened to the concerns of the

students.
Questions were asked and answered.
Ideas and experiences were shared.
The students were enthusiastic.
The wisdom and experience of Church leaders

were appreciated.
All understood more fully that the Church is for

the individual.

Leadership Opportunities

The Church-sponsored fraternities and sorority,
Sigma Gamma Chi, Delta Phi Kappa, and
Lambda Delta Sigma, elected new national
officers.

Constitutions were amended.

Students accepted the challenge of leadership.

The students have a say in the programs of the
Church.

Latter-day Saint students need to be leaders on
campus.

Sacred Moments

A visit to the Church Office Building, and

association with Church leaders, President

N. Eldon Tanner, Bishop Robert Simpson,

auxiliary heads, and others.
A view of the temple, visitors center, and

Christmas lights on Temple Square.
A concluding testimony meeting.
Elder Hanks' availability, concern, interest,

and motivation.
A breakfast meeting with Elder Richard L.

Evans.
A very special spiritual experience with

Elder Harold B. Lee.
A written commitment to President David

0. McKay.

All these things — and knowing that there
are Latter-day Saint students all over the
world who are standing tall — will make this
conference a long-remembered leadership
training experience.

— Frank Bradshaw

Era, February 1970 55

The
PresidingBishopric's

P&ge

TITHING

FAST OFFERING

BUDGET

BUILDING

WELFARE

MISSIONARY F.

OTHER SPECIFY

TOTAL DONATION

50.00

2.50

10.00

62.50

15 FEB 1970

A

TITHES IN KIND

Sa OTHER DONATIONS IN KIND

HICKMAN *JEFFERY*T

DONORS NAME

noEIPT 011592 25 00296

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES A VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION BY THE DONOR LISTED ABOVE

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

HAYDEN WARD

TUCSON NORTH

WARD OR BRANCH

STAKE OR MISSION

BP DAVID D. BEECHER

BISHOP OR BRANCH PRESIDENT

BY„

TEB

Sample receipt of new tithing and donation forms

The New Tithing and Donation
Recording Procedures

• New procedures for recording
tithing and donations were imple-
mented on January 1, 1970, in all
wards and branches of the Church
in the United States and Canada.
These new procedures are designed
to reduce, through the use of auto-
mated data processing equipment,
much of the manual processing
currently being performed at the
ward and branch level and at
Church headquarters.

From the individual Church
member's point of view, the new
system varies only slightly from the
present system:

1. The individual will continue
to fill out a white donation slip
showing the distribution of the en-
closed amount to tithing, fast offer-
ings, budget, or other funds.

2. The individual is responsi-
ble to see that the amounts shown
on the donation slip agree with the

By Bishop John H. Vandenberg

currency or check that accompanies
the slip.

3. A requirement of the new
system is for each donor to list his
name exactly the same way on each
donation slip. Under the old man-
ual system, the clerk posted the
records and was usually familiar
enough with each family to know
that Johnny Jones, John Jones, John
Edward Jones, and Johnny E. Jones
were all the same individual. How-
ever, the computer does not have
the reasoning ability nor the back-
ground information of the clerk,
and thus each variation of a name
will be listed separately as if each
were the name of a different in-
dividual.

4. If the individual donor who
is married wishes to have his dona-
tions credited to himself and his
wife jointly, he may do so, but
again he should list his name the

same way on each donation slip.
He may list Brother and Sister
Mark Smith, or he may list Mark
and Cathy Smith; however, once
the name has been listed it must
remain the same each time.

5. All donations should be mailed
or hand carried to the bishop in a
sealed envelope. All wards and
branches of the Church are pro-
vided with donation envelopes for
this purpose. If you mail your
tithing and donations to the bishop,
always send them by check or
money order. Never send cur-
rency through the mail.

6. A receipt showing the break-
down of the donation will continue
to be given each individual; how-
ever, it will be a carbon copy rather
than the original.

Under the new system, the orig-
inal is sent to Church headquarters
for processing. O

56

Changing of the Guard
By Larry B. Sprouse

It started in at midnight,
And then again at one,

And then once every hour
Till day was finally come.

I didn't really mind it,
For he had been quite ill;

And he seemed too small for
medicine,
Far too small for a pill.

It wasn't his crying that got me,
Nor my feet on that bare, cold
floor.
It wasn't the sleep that it cost
me,
Nor that diaper-changing
chore.

It was that look of rested plea-
sure,
My mate's ever so cheery grin,
As at breakfast she proudly
queried me,
"He slept through the night
again?"

Era, February 1970 57

Make Your College Experience

Meaningful, Enjoyable and

Profitable at LDS

HERE'S HOW LDS WILL ADD
MEANING TO YOUR LIFE

While some colleges offer institute classes,
only the Church Colleges maintain the LDS
standards and atmosphere on a campus wide,
"full-time" basis.

LDS is the only Business College where LDS
Devotionals, teachings, and leadership
training are the rule, not the exception.

LDS insures all students rich religious
experiences and surroundings with both a
Student Ward and complete Religious
Institute on campus.

ENJOY COLLEGE LIFE

Campus life at LDS will provide
you with wholesome activities
among those of your own faith. A
full schedule of dances, assemblies,
outings, and athletic events are
pleasant relief to study routines.
Church fraternal organizations, and
MIA add even more excitement to
your recreational and cultural
pursuits.

"1

1/

YOUR BUSINESS EDUCATION
WILL BE PROFITABLE

Business Careers, you will find offer the
following advantages:

• A good starting salary

• Early advancement

• Interesting work

• A secure future

• High prestige

FOR PROFESSIONAL TRAINING YOU
WILL FIND LDS OFFERS

• Short term courses

• Reasonable tuition

• Excellent facilities

• Qualified faculty

• Job placement services

CHOOSE FROM THESE COURSES

Fashion Merchandising, Computer
Technology, Accounting and Business
Management, Court Reporting,
Secretarial Science, Marketing.

For more information write:
Information Office
LDS Business College
411 East South Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111

The best things in life are real.

The real things in life just can't be beaten. After
all, what could be better than the real cakes you bake
from scratch? Nothing.

But it does take longer at a time when life's a lot
more hurried than it used to be.

That's why Fleischmann's developed the new
Rapidmix method. It makes baking the real thing
quicker and easier than ever before.

Because you no longer have to dissolve the yeast,
worry about water temperature or heat the bowl.

Now you just blend Fleischmann's Yeast with
your other dry ingredients, mix — and bake one of the
best things in life. A light, tasty cake. The real thing.

For 70 real thing recipes, including the Babka
below, send 250 for "Fleischmann's New Treasury of
Yeast Baking", Box 61E, Mt. Vernon, N.Y. 10559.

Todays Family

By Carolyn Dunn

Illustrated by Maurice Scan/on

• What does the supermarket of the future hold for
consumers? How will the Space Age influence and
perhaps change our food-buying habits?

There is speculation that our food-buying destina-
tions of the future will include commissaries in the sky
and shopping malls on satellites.

At the present time food for munching on the moon
consists mainly of freeze-dried variations that fit all
the specifications of space travel in a rocket and the
needs and tastes of the men inside.

In the future, for longer trips special food might be
grown in greenhouses along the way, according to some

far-out reports. By then we may be swallowing nu-
trition-packed pellets, and they will be taking care
of our daily food needs.

However, for those of us who plan to keep two feet
on the ground, the future may mean simply raising
our finger to push a button at home and having a
hot meal appear, or eating our food in condensed food

Carolyn Dunn, a member of the Sunday School general
board, is director of consumer and customer services for
Armour and Company, Chicago, Illinois. She was formerly
consumer marketing specialist, Utah State University.

Era, February 1970 59

balls, about the size used on the golf course, or taking always devour the dishes and utensils as well as the

our foods home from the market held together by food, for at the table of the future, many will be edible.

invisible bagging. So will some food packages and soft drink containers.

We may order our food at home or anywhere in the The exact flavor is still speculation. So far, there is

world on our phone-a-vision, or if we wish the com- no report on digestibility.

Vegetables and fruits will be stored in kitchen

( , drawers of tomorrow for six-month periods under the

A rGC6nt SUfV6y ShOWGCl hypnotic influence of controlled atmospheric condi-

tions. Apples are already experiencing this new long

that 42 Convenience fOOdS actually life and appear crisp and flavorful at the market during

all months of the year. Some produce items are also

COSt leSS than the Same prOdUCtS going from garden to market successfully in this

,, "trance" state.

maQe If On) SCra LCn Also in the produce line, new variations of familiar

fruits are already in the developmental stages, such

as a square pineapple that may be simpler to send

through marketing channels and a round banana that

panionship of friends as we shop, we may join them \ee^s better, is peeled more easily, and has more nu-

in the TV room of a nearby supermarket. trition and fewer calories.

By inserting an identification card into the receiver Aerosol containers will continue to have interesting
slot on the chair arm, our TV shopping tour begins, contents, such as peanut butter, cup cake and pancake
By pushing the food button, a parade of products is batter, liquid spices, whipped butter, jams, and in-
shown on the screen. A quantity button is touched stant pudding.

whenever the consumer decides to buy. Talk buttons While we ponder some of these food and kitchen

give an audio description of all products. Closed- innovations coming up, another report takes us into

circuit video sales presentations will be a major part the food markets of the next century,

of newer methods of selling in the food-buying world The long, tedious planning of a complete super-

of tomorrow. market will be no more. A computer is now available

With all the complexities, it is and will be an excit- for instant supermarket planning. Within seconds

ing world. While some futuristic ideas may seem this almost human phenomenon can completely design

tongue-in-cheek, most of the innovations will have a a whole store, taking into account the store's ethnic

trial run somewhere, and you may help decide just neighborhood.

how much a part of the future they will be. The long, monotonous rows of merchandise will
In case you think you will never succumb to this be broken up into decorative "little shops" through-
mechanized computer-paced life coming up, remember out the store to give increased variety and interest,
that you probably once vowed never to touch a cake Convenience foods and instants, both dry and
mix, eat instant potatoes, or try TV dinners. frozen, will increase in number and variety, and micro-
If the present trend continues, we will not dare wave ovens in kitchens will be as numerous in to-
consume anything that isn't completely and totally morrow's society as TV sets are today,
nutritious. There probably will not be anything Instant ovens will also be a part of supermarkets as
unnutritious on the market by that time anyway, well as all-hour convenience departments, increased
Nutrition will literally be packed into food, and we gourmet lines, and larger delicatessens with the
will need it as the demands on our energy greatly emphasis on take-home foods of every description,
increase. A centralized or warehouse system for the buying,
The problem now is that when the future arrives, cutting, and packaging of meats for supermarket use
many predictions will have already been replaced. So, is finding favor in some areas and will be a definite
when you think of the future, think of next week and trend in future meat marketing. While the tenderness
you may be momentarily ahead. of meat is of prime concern to producers and consumers
Among many other reviews of future trends, we alike, a system to determine the tenderness of beef on
hear of kitchens with built-in, year-'round vegetable the hoof has been developed and is receiving favorable
gardens in glass cylinders; dishwashers built right into acceptance in many parts of the country,
the dining table; computers that figure menus and Other new innovations in the supermarket will in-
inventories at home. elude everything from soft lights and carpeting, which
If dishwashing is a problem, family members can are already a part of some markets, to radar-controlled

60

shopping carts that will follow customers around the
store, plus automated check-out counters. Shopping
carts will fit right into the automated check-out. A
new type customer credit card will activate the store's
computer system, check the customer's bank account,
total up the price of the merchandise, and deduct the
amount from her checking account in the bank. There
will be no need to exchange cash. Some futuristic
experts predict that we will have a cashless and check-
less society.

The invisible bagging or molecular force will then
"knit" or hold foods together from check-out counter
to kitchen sink, where it will wear away, leaving the
groceries free for storage. Side trips may be dis-
couraged for fear the transparent bagging will wear
off ahead of time.

Honest shoppers of the future need not be alarmed
if their grocery carts speak up on their way to the cars.
A transistorized voice hidden in the handle of a new
talking grocery cart is supposed to call out a warning
to would-be cart-nappers just before they vanish from
the parking lot.

As part of their concern for feeding an increased
population, some food researchers are focusing their
attention on imitation foods. Consumers havp al-
ready seen the results of soybean protein made to
resemble meat, and imitation milk is available in some
areas of the country.

Research scientists at colleges and universities have
been busy with their own contributions to the field
of food development. One professor of food science
has in the later stages of development a low- calorie
butter and a frozen low-calorie whipped cream
product made of real cream. Another professor has
recently intrigued the industry with successful experi-
ments with raisins made from fresh cherries and
with freeze-dried sauerkraut.

While we may want to look with awe into the
future of foods and the supermarket, the luster may
be somewhat dimmed by our concern for future costs.

It may ease the feeling to reveal the results of a
recent study made by the United States Department of
Agriculture. In a comparison study, 158 convenience
foods were priced with their homemade counterparts.
Of this group, 42 convenience foods actually cost less
than the same product made from scratch. Cake mix-
tures are one of the best example. Other convenience
foods are becoming part of this picture.

The main decisions will still rest with the family
food buyer, who will want to consider family tastes
and demands as well as budgets.

And speaking of taste, that may change too. New
flavor-detecting machines are now in the process of
determining the sources of flavor in some foods and

ways to take away undesirable tastes in others. There
is every reason to believe that even the persimmon
might someday lose its pucker and become a mild gem
of a fruit—competing with the orange for popu-
larity. O

"The

Spoken
Word

"The Spoken Word" from
Temple Square, presented
over KSL and the Columbia
Broadcasting System Nov-
ember 30, 1969 © 1969.

'The insatiable demand for more"

By Richard L. Evans

There is a phrase that suggests a subject: "The
insatiable demand for more."1 Who ever
heard of anyone who was happy, who
couldn't be satisfied?— who always had to have more
and ever more— more thrills, more indulgence, more
power, more possessions? Some overindulge by seek-
ing to satisfy appetites that remain unsatisfied. Some
make demands, and when their demands are met,
make more demands. There are communities that
want more and more-more size, more reaching for
comparative place— and in the process, complicate
their problems. The comparative and competitive
spirit often enters in and insists that the curve, the
graph, the record must be ever and always up—
which, if for a good purpose, is good, but which, if
never satisfied, even after the purpose is satisfied,
may be merely the insatiable demand for more.
Even when there are more comforts and conveni-
ences than kings could once have had, often there
are still demands for more. Perhaps it comes down
finally to a balance of contentment and purpose
and peace, with a little wholesome discontent to
keep us learning, moving, reaching, producing, but
not just more and more without limit, without peace
or real purpose. "All the good things of the world
are no further good to us than as they are of use,"
said Daniel DeFoe, "and of all we may heap up we
enjoy only as much as we can use, and no more."
That human wants are, in a sense, insatiable, is part
of what makes progress possible; but if we drink
without quenching thirst, if we rush and run without
knowing why we rush and run, we may merely be
pursuing the insatiable demand for more. In all our
rushing, striving, struggling, God grant us gratitude,
balance, judgment; a solid sense of values, an inner
peace, and an honest appraisal of our purpose.

'Carnegie Quarterly bulletin, Vol. xvii, No. 3.

Era, February 1970 61

A SAVING IN TIME...
A LIFETIME GIFT!

for ONESELF • TEACHERS • SPEAKERS • LEADERS
PARENTS • STUDENTS • MISSIONARIES

Build a Personal
Enrichment File for
Gospel Talks and Lessons
with SUBDEX 1

This system facilitates rapid filing
and permits easy relocation of any
specific article when you need it.
Its unique flexibility provides for
limitless expansion in both subject
areas of your own special interest
and in the subject areas provided.
With its comprehensive index and
simple cross reference system the
use of a card file is no longer nec-
essary.

File Packet Contents:

• simple instructions

• file format and comprehensive
index

• pressure-sensitive labels for
26 major categories and for
440 subtopics

• 6 cross reference sheets CR-1

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• 6 table of contents sheets TC-1

AVAILABLE THROUGH
LDS BOOK DEALERS
EVERYWHERE or by
using the convenient
order blank below!

DISTRIBUTORSHIPS AVAILABLE

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Enclose money order and mail to:

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Please send copies of SUBDEX 1
($3.25 each, postage paid)

Name

Street

City

State Zip

Buffs

and

Rebuffs

Mormon Towns

I thoroughly enjoyed the article about
"The City of Zion in the Mountain West"
[December], There is an additional
point connected with the early Mormon
settling period that few persons recognize
—or at least so I suspect— and that is the
common custom of building a stone letter
on a hill near the town. The letter repre-
sents the name of the town or a local
school, such as "M" for Malad (Idaho),
"P" for Panguitch (Utah), "BR" for Bear
River (Utah), "U" for University of Utah,
and so forth.

I have long been interested in this oc-
currence, and in 1965 I wrote the New
York Museum of Natural History about
the subject. I was informed that scholars
at the museum knew of no place in Amer-
ica where such a thing was done, except
in the area of early Mormon culture; nor
was there known by these scholars any
place in Europe where such a thing was
done.

I would think this of sufficient inter-
est that it would be worth asking Church-
wide for community residents to report
to you if they know of any such custom
in an area not founded or established by
Latter-day Saints.

Gallard C. Carr
Tremonton, Utah

Interested readers may send responses
to the Era. A tabulation and report will
he given later.

No Nibley

I could hardly wait to receive the Decem-
ber Era to read Dr. Hugh Nibley's article.
It wasn't there! I have enjoyed reading
his important disclosures relative to the
Joseph Smith papyri. The rediscovery
of the papyri by Dr. Aziz Atiya has been
one of the most exciting and faith-
promoting happenings in my religious
experience.

The Era is to be congratulated on its
immediate response to our needs. We
want to leam all that is available, and the
scholarly writings of Dr. Nibley open a
new world of knowledge to us. We
hope the series resumes soon.

Leona Fetzer Wintch

Manti, Utah

An Open Letter

I am a convert of eight years. As I grew
and developed in the gospel, I came to a
fuller knowledge of our Heavenly Father,
and I was overcome with the beauty of
life and filled with joy to be one of God's
children.

Then I began working in the Church,
and I learned respect for the organization
of it. How well structured it is! How
smoothly the programs fit one into an-

other! We all have a necessary job, with
mutual respect and admiration one for
another, whether our position is high or
low.

Recently my children and I were
placed in a position of need. Although
I knew somewhat of our welfare plan
before, now that help has been given us
so unselfishly, my soul is filled with love
and gratitude. I think of the thought
and ingenuity, the many hours of service,
and of all the helping hands that to-
gether produced the well-made clothes,
warm bedding, and wholesome food, to
say nothing of the extras such as soap
and toothpaste. I must thank my broth-
ers and sisters throughout the Church for
giving of themselves so that my family
and many others like us can be helped
when we need it.

I know that we are merely children, yet
we have faults and individual problems;
if in this imperfect state we brothers
and sisters can run this divinely organized
Church of ours, it indeed gives a taste
and a suggestion of heaven.

a most grateful sister
Baker, Oregon

On Children

I wish to thank the Era for printing in
the December issue several articles that
would give worlds of encouragement to
any mother who would read them: "The
Home Is to Teach," by Elder A. Theodore
Tuttle, "Take time for your children," by
Elder Richard L. Evans, and especially
the fiction, "And Thanks for Those Neat
Skippin' Rocks," by Janis Hutchinson.

Irene H. Tukuafu
Hauula, Hawaii

Be Still
By John D. Engle, Jr.

// stones of discord
ever lay

themselves upon
the path I plod,
these words
will sweep
them all away:
"Be still,
and know
that I am God."

For this command

possesses me

and lifts me

singing

from the sod,

the song that keeps

my spirit free:

"Be still,

and know

that he is God."

62 Era, February 1970

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GOING I

The Church
Moves On

November 1969

New stake presidencies: President
Glade M. Sowards and counselors
Philip G. Watkins and Orlo Goodrich,
Uintah (Utah-Wyoming) Stake; Presi-
dent Ralph J. Western and counselors
Lee W. Leishman and Wayne L. Kup-
ferer, Antelope Valley (California) Stake.

The First Presidency announced the
reorganization of the general Church
Music Committee with Elder Mark E.
Petersen of the Council of the Twelve
as the new chairman. Committee mem-
bers are Elder Richard L. Evans of the
Council of the Twelve, Isaac M. Stewart,
Richard P. Condie, and Arch L Mad-
sen. Alexander Schreiner is managing
director with Robert Cundick as as-
sistant. Leroy J. Robertson, former
committee chairman, Frank W. Asper,
J. Spencer Cornwall, and Harold Lund-
strom are consulting advisers. Roy M.
Darley, Crawford Gates, Jay E. Welch,
A. Harold Goodman, Reid Nibley, Ardean
Watts, Bernell W. Hales, Jr., and Mar-
garet Cornwall Richards are associates
of the committee.

December 1969

The festive seasonal lights on
Temple Square were turned on this
evening, illuminating special Christmas
scenes. Four thousand junior and
senior high school students — said to be
the largest choir ever to sing in the
Tabernacle — presented a program. They

were accompanied by the BYU Sym-
phonic Orchestra.

This was the last weekend of 1969
in which stake quarterly conferences
were regularly scheduled.

The light opera Amah/ and the
Night Visitors began its fifth Christmas
season on Temple Square with its open-
ing performance in the Tabernacle this
evening.

The reappointment of Richard L.
Gunn to the general board of the Young
Men's Mutual Improvement Association
was announced.

Eul The annual Christmas message by
President David 0. McKay and his five
counselors, issued today, read in part:
"We glorify in the advancement of
knowledge and achievement as seen in
man's efforts to conquer space and the
landing of men on the moon. This
represents important advances in man's
understanding of the universe about
him, all of which is the handiwork of
God. Acquiring such knowledge is in
full harmony with gospel principles.
All truth, whether it pertains to the
universe, to this earth, or to the indi-
vidual and his environment, is a part of
the gospel of Jesus Christ."

The appointment of William Roberts,
president of the Auckland (New Zea-
land) Stake, as a Regional Representa-
tive of the Twelve was announced. This
brings the total number of representa-
tives to 74.

January 1970

U A new computerized system for re-
cording and reporting tithes and offer-
ings throughout the United States and
Canada was placed in operation today.
It is expected to be less work for ward
and branch financial clerks who will
make out receipts with special type-
writers equipped with special ribbons
so that the computer in Salt Lake City
can process them.

Era, February 1970 65

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I he
1970s

By Dr. G. Homer Durham

Commissioner and Executive Officer, Utah System of Higher Education

• The twentieth century has seen
more revolutionary changes than its
numbered predecessors. It is un-
likely that the pace will diminish
in the 1970s. But the need to ex-
tend one's self, one's attitudes, and
one's efforts to "hold things to-
gether" may not keep pace with
the changes. Herein may lie the
challenge of the coming decade.
Will there be enough men and
women of goodwill, with forbear-
ance, sympathy, spiritual energy,
and high leadership qualities, to
keep things from "flying apart"?

Hope lies in the fact that the
aspirations of youth and the long-
ings of the middle-aged and elders
of the world may more closely
knit together than in the late sixties.
There was a curious feeling as the
year 1969 moved into history. The
young, idealistic "dissidents" in
their music, ballads, feelings, and
expression were yearning for peace.
Words like love, goodwill, kindli-
ness, honesty, charity, compassion,
concern were heard. The values
were not too far removed from the
"four-way test" repeated by the
elders at their weekly Rotary Club

gatherings, voiced in the Pledge of
Allegiance weekly by their Kiwa-
nian neighbors and others in Amer-
ica who were asking God to "help
them do their duty as such." The
ideals had much in common. But
the elders inclined to the view that
much of what long-haired girls and
boys Were saying was a mask.
Youth not of the Establishment
tended to view the elders' proclama-
tions as a pose, if not hypocritical.
To reduce the "generation gap,"
recognition was needed that to err
is human, and to forgive (and
understand), divine.

The possibility that the gap can
be reduced is augmented by the fact
that in the seventies, 20-year-olds
will become 30, the 30-year-olds will
become 40 and fast approaching re-
sponsibilities of grandfatherhood
and grandmotherhood for the chil-
dren of today's ten-year-olds, who
will become 20. As responsibilities
descend on the youth paraders of
the sixties, weight and experience
will require aspirants to leadership,
in the seventies, to look back with
possible appreciation for the bur-
dens placed on leadership in the

sixties. Providing instant answers
for questions of war and peace, air
and water pollution, the ills of the
cities of man, can only sober those
who are sincerely concerned with
responsibility.

So the seventies will begin to
demonstrate whether or not the
young idealists of the sixties were
really honest and knowledgeable.
If they were, and if they retain the
integrity and regard for honesty
many of them were so disinclined
to view in their elders, and if their
expressed regard for truth, love,
peace, freedom, brotherly and sis-
terly concern, lightened by hope,
shines through in practical (in-
cluding economic) terms— if so, the
seventies can become quite remark-
able. But if existential pessimism
or amoral resignation predominates,
the seventies could bring crises of
leadership unparalleled.

No forecast of issues can ap-
proach accuracy. But among the
wonders of space travel, biophysics,
and organ transplants, the following
will surely challenge the leadership
of the seventies:

1. Readjustments in the world
political order among the three
great powers— the United States,
the Soviet Union, and China.

In world politics, there has been
an apparent trend toward a kind
of "practical conservatism" in the
Soviet Union. This may present
new opportunities for world sta-
bility, less aggravated by ideological
differences. Since the death of
Stalin ( 1953 ) , there appears to have
been less preoccupation in Russia
with ideology and political doctrine,
more concern with retaining the
territorial gains of World War II,
and pragmatic use of military-eco-
nomic power to do so. There has
been a decline in Communist-
doctrine "conferences" in Moscow,
engendering world propaganda
schemes. Extensive activity in for-
eign aid (e.g., the Middle East), in
diplomacy led by military-economic

66

considerations (as in Hungary,
Poland, and Czechoslovakia), has
dwarfed the old "Comintern" and
its missionary-Communism. The
democratic revolutions of the nine-
teenth century touched Russia, but
left China relatively untouched.
The seventies find China evidently
in the final throes of ideological
Maoism— of doctrine. If techno-
economists, albeit military, come to
power in China instead of the revo-
lutionary, doctrinaire, military-poet
Mao, there may be other oppor-
tunities to reduce tension. This
may be helped by the economic—
and perhaps the return of some
military— power of Germany and
Japan.

World politics has been "polar-
ized" by doctrinal differences, led
by the U.S. -Soviet power-systems,
since 1945. There has been a grow-
ing tendency for "polarization"
along domestic lines in the United
States. Economic, racial, social,
urban-industrial, rural, and age di-
visions have continued political
overtones. In the seventies, there
will probably come a new if not
frantic search in America for "the
middle of things." Spiro Agnew, as
Richard Nixon's vice-president,
gave evidence as 1969 drew to an
end that he believed not only that
the middle existed, but that it was
the "silent majority," that it could
be rallied and brought to support
a republic that seemed polarized.
The differences between such Re-
publicans as Mayor Lindsay of New
York and Governor Reagan of Cali-
fornia and such Democrats as
Senator McGovern of South Dakota
and Congressman L. Mendel Rivers
will persist nevertheless. They sym-
bolize political liberty. And liberty
and unity are not always in har-
mony.

Whatever the realignments and
readjustments, the tasks and bur-
dens of political leadership— local,
national, domestic, foreign— will be
heavier and not less in the seven-

ties. These burdens have grown
steadily during the century. The
American nation, for example, is a
national economic community. Wel-
fare, once an individual, family
concern, has passed from the
county to state capitols to Washing-
ton in less than 40 years. Milking
cows was a household chore for the
great majority of Americans as the
century opened. Today it is a
highly organized, professional en-
terprise, guided by producing-
marketing associations supported by
the federal government. The cheese
factory in Parowan, Utah, ceased
operations in 1969. No one is milk-
ing cows there anymore to bring
milk to the little factory. But the
local stores sell cheese, as well as
the same nylon brushes and mer-
chandise found in Macy's base-
ment.

2. Readjustments in the eco-
nomic order.

President Eisenhower called at-
tention to "the industrial-military
complex." The sixties expressed
concern. Meanwhile business lead-
ership of the nation was doing more
of the nation's social work than ever
before. The country seemed gen-
erally satisfied with the products
of its industrial giants, provided
they would add more social work
and eliminate air, water, and en-
vironmental pollution of all sorts.
And the country seemed to rest
content that if the corporations
didn't buckle in and get the job
launched, people would use new-
found political tools to force gov-
ernments, especially the federal
government, to act and to force the
corporations to act.

In the seventies, the American
"political economy" may be inclined
to scrutinize the "communications
complex"— particularly the major
television networks. People in pop-
ulous California, fairly populous
North Carolina, and sparsely popu-
lated Arizona have all discovered
that the world (as they understand

Era, February 1970 67

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it) cannot be fully reported in
living color. Moreover, people out-
side New York City have become
aware that tremendous political and
cultural influence has gravitated to
the networks, A nation that uses
common brands of cereal, clothing,
and household appliances is not
ready to accept certain ideas in
common. Yet, the weekly news
magazines and the morning news-
papers do not speak with the fresh
voice of yesteryear to those who
saw the six o'clock and the ten
o'clock news the night or week be-
fore "in living color." Those who
read may well hurry to the variety
of printed pages, during the seven-
ties, to see if the ten o'clock news
really had it "right" (and vice
versa). And so, people will grapple
with the political and the economic
orders— some to seek advantages,
and some to seek the truth or the
way out of the confusion.

3. Readjustments in the social
order.

All of this brings us to the social
order. If present trends continue,
the three- generation American fam-
ily of 1900 will have become, in
many, many cases, a one-generation
family in the seventies. More ac-
curately, there may be more gen-
eration-and-a-half families, and
part-time parents and part-time
children. The challenge for heads
of families will be to use wisely
those few precious minutes that can
be snatched, under one roof, in
the evening. And it will be the
early evening that will have to be
budgeted for this purpose— with the
hope that the seven or eight hours
the family spends together in hope-
fully quiet sleep, later that night,
under that same roof, can have its
subliminal consciousness influenced
by feelings of secure family love.
For when the individuals all go their
separate ways between 6:30 and
8:30 a.m. the next morning, all will
need the feelings of personal in-
tegrity and development that de-

68

rive from a concerned, supportive,
primary group. If not, the political
and economic orders are going to
have more social functions than
can presently be imagined. Child
care, mental, and Medicare institu-
tions may only be beginning.

Education for America's social
needs in the seventies will be under
renewed political and economic
pressure to close the political, eco-
nomic, and social gaps between the
races. The "black studies" of the
sixties were only forecasts and
symptoms of efforts, strongly
backed by industrial and business
interests, to reorient certain aspects
of education to meet the disadvan-
taged non white students at the
level of their ability and under-
standing. Whether preschool or
through the university, this ap-
proach and not the effort to meet
"standards" for either first grade,
fourth grade, or freshman year will
probably accelerate.

The public universities and high
schools had to develop many
"tracks" to accommodate varieties
of human ability when they ceased
to be elitist institutions and ad-
mitted alongside the liberal arts
curriculum the many arts, crafts,
and professions serving today's so-
ciety. As the larger public univer-
sities and high schools adjusted, so,
as elementary and junior high
schools integrate and meet the
needs of the disadvantaged with
wider varieties of entrance ability,
elementary schools may have to de-
velop several "tracks," all leading to
useful and serviceable ends. The
traditional ascent through the first
to sixth grades to reach, after junior
high school, the "tracks" in high
school and college may require ad-
ditional school ladders.

American citizens in the fifties
debated federal aid to education.
They were probably prepared by
the tremendous outpouring of Acts
of Congress in the sixties for what
may well become substantial fed-

eral financing of educational sys-
tems in the seventies. This will
come not as a consequence of a
desire in HEW, the White House,
or the Office of Education to spread
their influence. It will come in re-
sponse to the demands of a national
economy and as a consequence of
an idea incorporated in the Declara-
tion of Independence. Education,
wherever or however attained, in-
dividually, privately, publicly, has
become the necessary condition for
life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. Otherwise there is the
pursuit of welfare and relief roles,
ending in squalor and slums. The
air-bus we will ride in the seventies
will not be peaceful, comfortable—
and safe— unless it is maintained by
sturdy aviation mechanics who
know their jobs and do them well.
They are taking their place with
the lawyer, doctor, or dentist. The
cities will not be habitable, likewise,
unless the nonwhite people who
populate them (and elect their
mayors) share the pride, economic
dependence, and social stability
that have carried the educated
American white community so far.
There are tremendous challenges
ahead. The political, economic, and
social adjustment of institutions
may be simpler than the adjustment
of our attitudes. The world, sur-
rounded by space platforms, in
which information is multiplying,
organized, and used by integrated
circuits and computerization, is a
new world with familiar scenery. If
your attitudes are shaken up in the
seventies, it may be well to reread,
frequently, William Cowper's great
hymn "God Moves in a Mysterious
Way," especially verse 5:

"His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower."

At least we hope the flower will
be sweet. O

Era, February 1970 69

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Letter of First Presidency Clarifies Church's

Position on the Negro

December 15, 1969

To General Authorities. Regional Representatives of
the Twelve, Stake Presidents, Mission Presidents, and
Bishops

Dear Brethren:

In view of confusion that has arisen, it was decided
at a meeting of the First Presidency and the Quorum
of the Twelve to restate the position of the Church
with regard to the Negro both in society and in the
Church.

First, may we say that we know something of the
sufferings of those who are discriminated against in a
denial of their civil rights and Constitutional privi-
leges. Our early history as a church is a tragic story
of persecution and oppression. Our people repeatedly
were denied the protection of the law. They were
driven and plundered, robbed and murdered by mobs,
who in many instances were aided and abetted by
those sworn to uphold the law. We as a people have
experienced the bitter fruits of civil discrimination
and mob violence.

We believe that the Constitution of the United States
was divinely inspired, that it was produced by "wise
men" whom God raised up for this very purpose,"
and that the principles embodied in the Constitution
are so fundamental and important that, if possible,
they should be extended "for the rights and protec-
tion" of all mankind.

In revelations received by the first prophet of the
Church in this dispensation, Joseph Smith (1805-
1844), the Lord made it clear that it is "not right
that any man should be in bondage one to another."
These words were spoken prior to the Civil War.
From these and other revelations have sprung the

Church's deep and historic concern with man's free
agency and our commitment to the sacred principles
of the Constitution.

It follows, therefore, that we believe the Negro, as
well as those of other races, should have his full
constitutional privileges as a member of society, and
we hope that members of the Church everywhere
will do their part as citizens to see that these rights
are held inviolate. Each citizen must have equal op-
portunities and protection under the law with refer-
ence to civil rights.

However, matters of faith, conscience, and theology
are not within the purview of the civil law. The first
amendment to the Constitution specifically provides
that "Congress shall make no law respecting an estab-
lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof."

The position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints affecting those of the Negro race who
choose to join the Church falls wholly within the
category of religion. It has no bearing upon matters
of civil rights. In no case or degree does it deny to
the Negro his full privileges as a citizen of the nation.

This position has no relevancy whatever to those who
do not wish to join the Church. Those individuals, we
suppose, do not believe in the divine origin and na-
ture of the Church, nor that we have the priesthood
of God. Therefore, if they feel we have no priesthood,
they should have no concern with any aspect of our
theology on priesthood so long as that theology does
not deny any man his constitutional privileges.

A word of explanation concerning the position of the
Church:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owes
its origin, its existence, and its hope for the future to
the principle of continuous revelation. "We believe
all that God has revealed, all that He does now re-
veal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many

70

great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom
of God."

From the beginning of this dispensation, Joseph
Smith and all succeeding Presidents of the Church
have taught that Negroes, while spirit children of a
common Father, and the progeny of our earthly par-
ents Adam and Eve, were not yet to receive the priest-
hood, for reasons which we believe are known to
God, but which he has not made fully known to

man.

Our living prophet, President David O. McKay, has
said, "The seeming discrimination by the Church
toward the Negro is not something which originated
with man; but goes back into the beginning with
God. . . .

"Revelation assures us that this plan antedates man's
mortal existence, extending back to man's preexistent
state."

President McKay has also said, "Sometime in God's
eternal plan, the Negro will be given the right to hold
the priesthood."

Until God reveals his will in this matter, to him
whom we sustain as a prophet, we are bound by that
same will. Priesthood, when it is conferred on any
man comes as a blessing from God, not of men.

We feel nothing but love, compassion, and the deep-
est appreciation for the rich talents, endowments,
and the earnest strivings of our Negro brothers and
sisters. We are eager to share with men of all races
the blessings of the gospel. We have no racially
segregated congregations.

Were we the leaders of an enterprise created by our-
selves and operated only according to our own
earthly wisdom, it would be a simple thing to act
according to popular will. But we believe that this
work is directed by God and that the conferring of
the priesthood must await his revelation. To do other-
wise would be to deny the very premise on which the

Church is established.

We recognize that those who do not accept the prin-
ciple of modern revelation may oppose our point of
view. We repeat that such would not wish for mem-
bership in the Church, and therefore the question of
priesthood should hold no interest for them. Without
prejudice they should grant us the privilege afforded
under the Constitution to exercise our chosen form of
religion, just as we must grant all others a similar
privilege. They must recognize that the question of
bestowing or withholding priesthood in the Church
is a matter of religion and not a matter of constitu-
tional right.

We extend the hand of friendship to men everywhere
and the hand of fellowship to all who wish to join
the Church and partake of the many rewarding oppor-
tunities to be found therein.

We join with those throughout the world who pray
that all of the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ
may in the due time of the Lord become available
to men of faith everywhere. Until that time comes
we must trust in God, in his wisdom, and in his
tender mercy.

Meanwhile we must strive harder to emulate his Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, whose new commandment it
was that we should love one another. In developing
that love and concern for one another, while awaiting
revelations yet to come, let us hope that with respect
to these religious differences, we may gain reinforce-
ment for understanding and appreciation for such
differences. They challenge our common similarities,
as children of one Father, to enlarge the outreachings
of our divine souls.

Faithfully your brethren,
THE FIRST PRESIDENCY

/SS/ Hugh B. Brown
/SS/ N. Eldon Tanner

Era, February 1970 71

(Continued from page 2U)

"Some years ago I was privileged to participate
in a meeting of President McKay and Walter
Reuther, a very powerful labor leader in the
United States, who was accompanied by his wife
and two daughters. The meeting in the President's
office was pleasant and informal with reference
to a farm experience of his youth and how it re-
lated to principles of truth. There was no posturing
or posing or declaiming or any effort at all on the
President's part to appear to be filling a role. As
always, he was warm and friendly and natural
in his conversation and companionship. After we
had left President McKay, Mr. Reuther walked
with me a few steps. He had a tear in his eye as
he said to me that he had enjoyed the association
of many men of great prominence in America and
other parts of the world, but, said he, 'I never met
a man like that.' A few minutes later Mr. Reuther
said, 'I do not think our generation will ever pro-
duce a man like that.' At a luncheon held a little
later, he repeated those remarks verbatim."
— Elder Marion D. Hanks, Assistant to the Council
of the Twelve

"While attending the New Zealand Temple
dedicatory services in 1958, I was walking down a
hallway in the temple when a friend intercepted
me and invited me to step inside a room. I was
overwhelmed to notice that the only other people
in the room were President and Sister McKay. My
friend said, 'President McKay, this is one of our
returned New Zealand missionaries, Brother
Simpson.' The President extended his firm right
hand, and placing his left hand on my shoulder,
looked into my eyes and, more than that, into every
fiber of my being. After a few seconds, he gave
my hand a friendly pump, my shoulder a squeeze,
and said, 'Brother Simpson, I am pleased to know
you.' Not 'I am pleased to meet you,' but 'pleased
to know you.' During the ensuing days and weeks,
the memory of this introduction kept recurring.
Approximately three months later, while sitting
in my office in Los Angeles, my telephone rang
and the voice on the other end of the line said,
'This is David 0. McKay speaking.' He said that
based on our interview, he had felt impressed to
issue a call to return with my family to New
Zealand to preside over the people I loved so much."
— Bishop Robert L. Simpson of the Presiding
Bishopric

"In Salt Lake City one Thursday afternoon, a
Sunday School class had been granted the great

favor of an appointment with the President. Un-
fortunately, he was called to the hospital where his
brother, Thomas E., lay critically ill. The children
were naturally disappointed. A member of the
Council of the Twelve greeted the class and talked
with them.

"Many busy men would have considered the
matter closed, but the next Sunday morning found
President McKay driving eight miles to a small
chapel south of the city. Entering the building he
inquired where this particular class met. Imagine
the thrill experienced in that little classroom when
the door opened and the President of the Church
walked in. After explaining why he was not in
his office when they called, he shook hands with
the teacher and with each one of the children and
left his blessings.

" 'I want you children to know,' he said, 'that
the President of the Church keeps his appoint-
ments if at all possible.' " — Story told by Glen
Snarr, Murray, Utah

"I remember being in New York when Presi-
dent McKay returned from Europe. Arrange-
ments had been made for pictures to be taken, but
the regular photographer was unable to go, so in
desperation the United Press picked their crime
photographer — a man accustomed to the toughest
type of work in New York. He went to the airport,
stayed there two hours, and returned later from
dark room with a tremendous sheaf of pictures.
He was supposed to take only two. His boss imme-
diately chided him, 'What in the world are you
wasting time and all those photographic supplies
for?'

"The photographer replied very curtly, saying
he would gladly pay for the extra materials, and
they could even dock him for the extra time he
took. It was obvious that he was very touchy about
it. Several hours later the vice-president called
him to his office, wanting to learn what happened.
The crime photographer said, 'When I was a little
boy, my mother used to read to me out of the Old
Testament, and all my life I have wondered what
a prophet of God must really look like. Well, today
I found one.' " — Arch L. Madsen, president of
Bonneville International Corporation

"I have loved President McKay for a long, long
time — since the winter of 1912-13 when Brother
McKay came to Los Angeles to see us who had lost
our homes in Mexico due to the revolution. He
came to Sunday School, and he took a glass of

72

Mourners wait for a moment's glance at the funeral bier

how clear and beautiful the water was, and then he
dropped a drop of ink in the water, and it was
clouded all through. He said to us little fellows,
'That is what sin does to a life.' I have ever since
then been trying to keep that sin out of my life."
— Elder Marion G. Romney of the Council of the
Twelve

"In the dedicatory service for the Samoan Saints
at the New Zealand Temple, President McKay
asked Brother Lafe Poilupi if he could translate
the dedicatory prayer to be given by President
McKay from English into the Samoan language.
Brother Poilupi answered humbly by saying, 'I
can do it if you will bless me.' President McKay
answered, 'I do bless you.' Although Brother
Poilupi had not heard the prayer previously nor
seen a copy of it, he interpreted the prayer per-
fectly, according to those well acquainted with
both Samoan and English. He never hesitated nor
did he ever need to correct himself." — Elder Del-
bert L. Stapley of the Council of the Twelve

"The phrase 'McKay weather' was not an un-
usual one in those years when the President was
traveling throughout the world as the new Presi-
dent of the Church. Typical of the stories is this
incident when President McKay asked me to
accompany him to the South Pacific. We were
refueling at Canton Island, 1,800 miles south of
Honolulu. The President was up bright and early
and in his seat when I sat beside him.

"He said, 'You see those black flags out there?
Word has come that there is a hurricane in our
pathway toward the south.' We were concerned,
but we took off and landed safely 1,200 miles later
in Fiji that evening.

General Authorities in their seats at the funeral

"When we arrived at the cable office, the man
was most concerned and asked, 'When did you
arrive?' We answered, 'Just this evening.' 'Oh,
you are the people who came through the hurri-
cane !' 'What do you mean?' we asked.

"He took us to a large map of the Pacific and
said, 'As you were going south a very severe hurri-
cane that had caused the rerouting of all military
planes was moving exactly in your pathway, but
all of a sudden — and they haven't been able to
explain it — the hurricane veered out about 200
miles to the west, stayed there for about two hours,
and then moved right back about 200 miles into its
original pathway. That time allowed you to come
through with no difficulty,' he said.

"As we walked to the hotel, President McKay
said, 'That was the hand of the Lord that reached
out and made it safe for us to come through.' "
— Franklin J. Murdoch, Church travel agent

Era, February 1970 73

At Church College of New Zealand dedicatory services, April 1958 In New Zealand with the Prime Minister, 1958

In Puketapu

• The bustling little town of Hunt-
ly, New Zealand, nestles along the
broad banks of the lower Waikato
River, in a pleasant valley of gently
rolling hills lush with grass, trees,
and the cool evergreen verdure of
this pleasant land. On the west
bank of the river once stood the
small frame chapel of the Puketapu
(Sacred-mount) Branch of the
Church, largest congregation and
center of the former Waikato Dis-
trict of the New Zealand Mission.
Here, one cool autumn day in 1921,
occurred one -of the greatest spiri-
tual manifestations in the history of
the mission.

In that year, the little Maori vil-
lage was all abustle with activity.
The Saints of the district and the
local Puketapu Branch were busy
making preparations, as hosts, for
the coming hui-tau— the annual mis-
sionwide conference to be held in
April. Meeting tents and sleeping
tents must be provided; kumara
(sweet potato), meat, vegetables,

By Elwin W. Jensen

and potatoes must be gathered in
great quantity; provisions and
preparations must be made to
house and feed the multitude who
would assemble. This was to be no
ordinary conference. A prophet of
God was to be in attendance. The
first General Authority ever to visit
New Zealand, Elder David O. Mc-
Kay of the Quorum of the Twelve,
was expected to be present. Antici-
pation was keen.

A number of revisions had to be
made in plans for the conference.
Word had been received that the
visiting brethren from Zion desired
to meet with the Saints there. They
would not arrive by the date initial-
ly set for the conference, April 6, so
the date was changed tentatively to
April 15. However, some dock
labor troubles had upset boat
schedules, and the definite date of
arrival was uncertain. Not until the
April 13 issue of the mission news-
paper was it officially announced—
a new conference date had been set.

A cablegram from the visitors,
Elder McKay and his companion,
Hugh J. Cannon, had been re-
ceived, indicating an arrival date
of April 20. Since the Saints were
eager to meet a General Authority,
the committee agreed ( for the third
time) to change plans, and the
conference was rescheduled for
April 23, 24, and 25.

Excitement was at its peak as
members and friends gathered at
the meeting grounds of the Puke-
tapu Branch. The conference ses-
sions, held in large meeting tents,
were filled to overflowing. Out of
courtesy, several of the leading
Maori brethren were invited to
speak. They made only brief re-
marks, however, saying they had
come "to fill their baskets." They
were just an empty kit, with no food
inside. Long had they desired to
feed at the fountainhead of truth,
to see a prophet. Now that one had
arrived, they said, "Let us listen,
and fill our baskets."

74

Stuart Meha, stalwart mission
worker, had been selected to act
as interpreter for Elder McKay.
He was well qualified, but he felt
the heavy burden of this assign-
ment. He knew the people would
want to hear every word, every
thought.

Then the prophet stood up.
How he longed to speak to them
in their own tongue. But he would
ask that, through the Spirit, they
might receive an understanding of
the things he would say. His over-
whelming love and dynamic person-
ality seemed to bring the audience
into full rapport.

And then it happened: as the
sermon proceeded it seemed as
though the entire congregation
understood. Brother Meha, taking
notes preparatory to giving the
translation, noticed the unusual re-
action of the assemblage. He was
startled. Even the older Maori
Saints who could not speak English
were nodding their heads in full
appreciation.

Still uncertain of what had hap-
pened, Brother Meha arose to give
the translation. But as he spoke
in the Maori tongue, one old

brother interrupted and said that
an important point had been
omitted from the translated ver-
sion. Three times this happened—
three times during the translation
Brother Meha was interrupted and
reminded of a point he had over-
looked. Suddenly he realized:
These Maori members, though
they did not know English, had
understood, in detail, the entire
sermon! The entire congregation
had received the gift of interpre-
tation, and through the manifesta-
tion of the Spirit, they obtained a
full understanding of the sermon.

The entire conference was an un-
usual spiritual feast. Never had
the little Maori village experienced
such an event. For years afterward
the Saints would remember and
talk of that special conference, and
point out the spot where the meet-
ings were held.

One young Maori in particular
would never forget, for not only
had he seen and heard the prophet's
sermon that day; he was also in-
volved in another unusual drama.
This was James Elkington, who had
been assigned to patrol the village
grounds to help maintain order.

Outside agitators had attempted to
disrupt some of the conference pro-
ceedings. Once Brother Elkington
had been obliged to ask them to
leave, but in another meeting they
rushed forward to the rostrum
where Brother McKay was speak-
ing. Uncertain of what to do,
everyone was temporarily immobil-
ized. But President McKay simply
straightened up, looked at the agi-
tator, put forth his hand, and in the
quiet dignity of his majestic per-
sonality, bade their leader wel-
come. As soon as the erstwhile
troublemaker touched the hand of
President McKay, he seemed to wilt
like a falling leaf. He ceased to
speak, went limp, and quietly with-
drew from the meeting, never to
return.

Today the' slim spire of a sacred
temple rises from the green pas-
tures of the Waikato, only a few
miles distant from Huntly, a con-
stant reminder and a tower of
strength to the Saints in New Zea-
land. Perhaps it is understandable
why the Maori Saints have a spe-
cial place in their hearts for David
O. McKay and why they think
of him as their own prophet. O

"Welcome into the Kingdom

59

By Ron Woods

• As a convert of only five weeks, the Tabernacle as inspired men de-

I was thrilled with the opportunity livered messages for the guidance

to attend the general conference of of God's children on the earth. I

April 1963. At the Friday morning was struck with the thought that

session I watched and listened in it must be glorious to have the

privilege of being near the Prophet
of God as did those who sat around
him.

The next morning I left my
apartment early to be sure to get a

Era, February 1970 75

seat again in the Tabernacle. It
was quite early, and there was
hardly anyone else on the street,
but as I neared the Church Office
Building on South Temple, I saw
two people descending the steps to
the street. The shock of white hair
was what caught my eye first, and
I knew that I was looking at the
President of the Church. I was so
startled that at first I hardly noticed
that he was leaning on the arm of
an aide. They reached the bottom
of the stairs and turned in front of
me, going in my direction, and I
found myself walking five steps be-
hind them.

I quickly decided that I couldn't

let such an opportunity go by, so
with much anxiety for my boldness,
I went up on his free side and said,
"President McKay, may I walk with
you too?" His gracious reply, his
bright eyes, and the very radiance
of his face all made me know that
I was welcome. Any trepidation I
had had about bothering such a
busy man left me as he expressed a
sincere interest in knowing about
me— where I was from, if I had
come for conference, whether I was
a returned missionary. In answer
to that last question, I told him
that I had just recently been bap-
tized. We had been walking slowly
toward the Hotel Utah, but as I

said this, he stopped and turned to
me. Looking deep into my eyes, he
reached out his hand for mine and
said, "Brother Woods, let me give
you the hand of fellowship. Wel-
come into the kingdom."

I had, in the process of my con-
version, gained a testimony of
Joseph Smith, but the idea of a
living prophet hadn't yet made a
deep impression on me. But as of
that moment I knew that here was
a living prophet of a living God.

I cannot now walk that street
without seeing in my mind those
piercing eyes and hearing his inspir-
ing words : "Welcome into the king-
dom." , O

ht to Remember

• When the glooms gather and the
sad days come, and when, like
Ishmael in Moby Dick, I seem to
be bringing up the rear of every
funeral procession, I remember a
night at the Albert Hall in London
14 years ago, and my heart is lifted
in a moment.

In September 1955 my wife and
I were new converts to the Church.
We had not yet fully caught fire
and were rather remiss in many of
the duties laid upon us. We knew
the Church was true, but we were
having difficulty translating our
knowledge into energetic, positive
action.

In that year the Tabernacle
Choir came to England, and we ar-
ranged to attend their concert at
the Royal Albert Hall.

As the great night came, we took
our seats in the immense audi-
torium with several thousand other

By Derek Dixon

Saints. And what a night it was!
The singing of the choir held us
enthralled for an hour and a half,
and we felt as though we had been
caught up to the glories of the king-
dom of God.

At the end of the concert, as the
auditorium began to empty, we saw
a man standing in a distant box,
surrounded by a little knot of
people. He seemed to tower above
them.

"Look!" said my wife. "There is
President McKay."

And it was.

A sort of madness seized us, and
we frantically tried to make our
way toward his box. But, to our
sorrow, by the time we got there
he had already left the box with
his party.

Frantically we rushed to an out-
side corridor, searching as we went
for a sign of him. And then sudden-

ly he was there, shaking hands with
a few people.

He was very tall, and his white
wavy hair was a veritable crown.
In spite of his size, there was about
him an air of gentleness. And his
eyes! They had a depth and pene-
tration to them that I remember
even at this distance of time. I
looked into them and seemed to see
eternity beyond. And my heart
burned, and I knew that he truly
was a prophet of the living God!

He spoke to us and shook hands
with us; then he turned and walked
out into the night with the other
members of his party.

We stood there a very long time
gazing at the door through which
he had passed. We could never
describe, never in a thousand years,
how we felt at that time; for the
Prophet had gone, but the testi-
mony remained. O

76

Flower-banked grave at the Salt Lake City cemetery

Thoughts on
President David Q McKay

Rise up, Huntsville,

Bare your

Head.

Your son,
Our Prophet,
Has gone home.

Lay his dust in
The cool earth
Beneath the Wasatch's
Mighty gaze.

Be tall, Mt. Ogden,
And higher stand,
Ben Lomond.
He loved your peaks.

By S. Dilworth Young

Let the valley

He taught the

Lie warmer because

Simple virtues:

He was born

Home — a shrine,

There.

Parenthood — a privilege,

He received

Motherhood — divine,

Of its strength.

Purity — Godlike.

He was of this land.

He did not

Spell out

He lifted up his

Exaltation —

Common clay,

"We have it

Purified it,

Here,"

Made it fit,

He seemed to say,

Put eternal impress

On it.

"In daily

Acts —

What we are

With loving care

Here

Prepared it

Mirrors what

To be

We shall there

Exalted.

Be."

Era, February 1970 77

Enjoying an old-time surrey ride at Brigham
Young University's motion picture studio, 1953

The Poetry of
David Q McKay

President David 0. McKay as a poet delighted
family and friends with his personal poems to
them.

In answer to a homesick son on a mission, he
wrote a lengthy poem of comfort and advice, con-
cluding with :

Old Time passes quickly — too quickly, my lad,
As into our lives he throws good and bad;
'Twill be but a span ere your wish you'll possess,
And Mother and Bobbie you will fondly caress.

Be yours then to say, in that moment of bliss,
As loved ones you greet with a pure loving kiss;
Though waves of temptation around me did roll,
They but tempered my manhood; untainted's my
soul!

His love for babies, sincere and beautiful, has
been expressed in a choice gem that begins:

Sweet, innocent, heavenly treasure,
Spirit offspring of God from above,
Gift of an All-Wise Creator,
Expression of heavenly love!
Thou stirrest my soul with emotion,
I feel nearer God and the right;
For nothing is half so inspiring,
As a baby dressed in white. . . .

President McKay called his younger daughter,
Emma Rae, his "ray of sunshine," and when she
left home for the first time in order to accept a
teaching position at McCammon, Idaho, her cheer-
ful laugh was missed very much around the house.
Her father wrote the following poem:

Emma Rae's Away

Lonesome seems the home today, yet four of us

are here!
The sun is shining brightly, yet there's an absence,

sure, of cheer!
Mother — tearful — still is smiling, and the boys

pretend to play,
But home is not the same — now that Emma's gone

away!

Yesterday, I thought I heard the front door open

wide,
For a moment, I'd forgotten, and in ecstacy I cried
"Back so soon, my sunbeam! We've missed you all

the day!"
Then the shadow settled o'er me, for Emma's far

away.

It isn't at the mealtime that we miss your features

fair,
(To speak the truth full freely, you were seldom

there:)
Nor is it at the telephone where one must always

stay,
To answer friends and schoolmates, "Emma Rae's

away."

It's in the mind, the thought, the feeling,
In every heartbeat an appealing
For the merry voice that brightened all the day —
Still remains that lonely yearning, for Emma Rae's
away.

78

Twenty happy summers! why do years so quickly

fly.'

Why do circumstances challenge our wish to have

you nigh ?
Your cheerful soul and laughter made home a

summer day,
But now the leaves are turning — Emma Rae's

away.

Hasten the day, old Hand of Time, when our

children no more roam!
Bring back each as sweet and pure, as each left

the childhood home!
Till then, pass, Time, like lightning: as arrows

speed the day!
E'en then weeks move as oxcarts, while loved

ones are away.

President McKay's delightful sense of humor is
expressed in a poem in his beloved Scotch. The
poem, to President Rudger Clawson, is entitled :

A Scotch Answer

Your letter's before me awaiting reply —

The ane to the "Scotchman sometimes called

McKai."
I'm sure that you think I've neglekit you sairly
An' I'll no say myseV that I've treated you fairly.

I beg ye'll forgive this unseemly delay —

Ye ken weel that I've traveled for months far

away;
Then, besides, ye have been in this auld British

land,
So ye realize truly hoo much wark there's in hand.

Ye ask for a rug wi' good pattern an' brown,
Wi' a bouncin' good discount for cash paid right

down :
But do ye no ken hoo the Scots lo'e the penny?
A discount! My word! It's gay hard to get any!

But I found a true friend wi' rugs good and new,
Whom I telt 'twas a present I'm buyin' for you.
Said he: "Here's a tartan, the real, real McKai;
Since it's you, I'll gi'e discount." Said I, "It's a
buy."

Sae, noo, beloved brither, accept frae us twa,
This Scotch steamer rug. When frosty winds blaw,
Just wrap yersel warmly frae feet tae yer thigh,
An' gie a kind thought tae yer friends called
McKay.

— David O. and Emma Ray

The affection, love, and devotion of David 0.
McKay for his sweetheart were expressed to her
on birthdays, Christmas, and on other occasions
in words, actions, and in writing. Sister McKay
expressed her joy in receiving from her sweetheart
"heart-petals in rhyme" with which he continued
to woo her.

To My Sweetheart on Our Golden Anniversary

Old Time leaves his mark by wrinkling the brow,

And by turning dark tresses to gray;

Many changes he makes between Then and the

Now
As he silently rolls on his way.

But some things grow sweeter as years come and

go,
For in essence they're really divine;
That this is a fact I assuredly know,
For these virtues transcendent are thine.

Your sweetness and love, refinement of soul,
Have been enhanced by each passing year;
With loved ones around you, yours is the goal
That brings heavenly joys very near.

What I'm trying to say in this slow, limping verse
Is, you're fifty times dearer as Sweetheart today
That when you consented "for better or worse"
To be my companion for aye!

On Mother's Day

Our children, God bless them,

Are a credit and true —
/ marvel to think how

You mother' d them through
Measles and mumps,

Scarlet fever and cold —
And the hundreds of rhijmes

And fairy tales told!

Ever patient, untiling,

Devotedly true —
Every virtue of mother

God has given to you.
Oft alone, without husband,

Your family to raise,
The world of your training

Speaks only in praise.

Era, February 1970 79

At general conference in the late 1960s, with Presidents Hugh B. Brown and Joseph Fielding Smith

A Man and His Messa

By Dr. Neil J. Flinders and
Jay R, Lowe

• President David O. McKay was
a man with a message: a message
from God for the people of the
world. From 1951 to 1970 he was
commissioned to deliver that mes-
sage as the Lord's chief oracle on
the earth. Called and sustained at
age 77 as presiding high priest of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-
ter-day Saints, President McKay
was quick to admit that "when God
makes the prophet, he doesn't un-
make the man." ( The Improvement
Era, June 1962, p. 405. ) In his case
this was particularly unnecessary.

From his youth he grew and devel-
oped "in wisdom and stature and
favour with God and man." (Luke
2:52.) His long life with his cher-
ished wife was an example in deed
of the message the Lord asked him
to deliver in word.

As chief administrator (1951-
1970) and long-time apostolic am-
bassador (1906-1970) for the
Church, President McKay's inspired
and insightful influence was widely
felt. But it was during the annual
and semiannual conferences of the
Church when he formally addressed

the world that his message as
Prophet rang out in greatest clarity.
A careful analysis of the addresses
delivered by him during his nearly
19 years as President of the Church
attests to this clarity. The message

Dr. Neil J. Flinders and Jay R.
Lowe researched this article, which
views President David O. McKay in
light of the 106 general conference
addresses he gave from April 1951
to April 1969. Dr. Flinders is a
research analyst for the Depart-
ment of Seminaries and Institutes,
and Brother Lowe is an instructor
at Brigham Young University, where
he is pursuing his doctorate.

80

is as moving as it is prophetic, and
it is repeated over and over in both
provoking prose and touching
poetry.

The will of God impressed itself
on his mind; and, apparently, it
was during the April conference of
1953 that this revelation settled into
the clearly defined themes that
were to echo and reecho over land
and sea during the next two
decades. In his own words he an-
nounced to the world:

". . . I have been impressed to
emphasize two great functions of
the Church: First, the putting in
order of our homes, and keeping
them in order; and second, the pro-
claiming of the divinity of the mis-
sion of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ." ( Era, June 1953, p. 400. )

Approximately 47 percent of the
total content of his addresses dealt
directly and explicitly with these
two topics. Almost everything else
that he said was in relation to these
topics, whether it be self- discipline,
free agency, Communism, crime,
chastity, unity, or charity.

Consistent with his role as a
prophet was his effort to proclaim
the divinity of Jesus Christ. He ex-
horted all men everywhere to
repent and accept Christ— to ac-
quire a faith in Christ. Sixty-three
percent of his conference remarks
can be perceived as exhortations to
repentance, and the single scrip-
tural passage he quoted most often
was Acts 4:12: "Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is
none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we
must be saved."

A marked characteristic of his
message to repent was a spirit and
feeling of kindness, love, and great
concern for the individual. This
feeling can be discerned in the fol-
lowing sentence: "With all my soul,
I plead with the members of the
Church and people everywhere, to
think more about the gospel; more

about the developing of the spirit
within; to devote more time to the
real things of life, and less time to
those things which will perish."
(Era, June 1968, p. 112.)

The remainder of the content in
his conference addresses fits pri-
marily into three other categories:
bearing personal witness of Christ
(15.4%), warning of the anti-Christ
and his evil (14.0%), and witness-
ing to the restoration of the gospel
to the earth in this dispensation
(7.7%).

President McKay saw a unique
and vital relationship between the
home environment and attaining
and maintaining a living faith in
Christ. He proclaimed that the
home was the key to establishing
faith in Christ among the people
of the earth. He substantiated this
position with realistic, practical, and
persuasive evidence such as the
following: A child spends an aver-
age ratio of time of 16 to 1 in the
home over the school and 126 to 1
in the home over the church. With
this link between Christ and the
home clearly in mind, President
McKay committed himself to struc-
turing the function of the Church in
a manner that would insure its
practical implementation. The work
toward correlation, home teaching,
and the family home evening are
prime examples of these efforts.

"Home is the nearest image of
heaven," "the family is the founda-
tion of the state," "our home joys
are the most delightful the earth
affords," and "no other success can
compensate for failure in the home"
are some of the concepts he used to
emphasize the importance of the
home in an era when other minds
are suggesting that the home be
abolished as an institution.

As mentioned previously, when
President McKay was not dealing
directly with the topics of faith in
Christ or the home, he was usually
drawing attention to subjects he

Era, February 1970 81

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felt were appendages of significant
importance to these major themes.
A great deal of attention is given
in his addresses to those things
that he felt were enemies of a
faith in Christ and a healthy home.
The enemies he described are:

( 1 ) the lack of self-mastery— letting
the physical rule the spiritual;

(2) the threat of Communism,
crime, and other forces that subvert
free agency; (3) the lack of charity;
(4) the lack of unity; and (5) the
lack of reverence. The proportion
of emphasis he gave each of these
threats in relation to the others was
roughly (1) 43%, (2) 29%, (3) 15%,
(4) 10%, and (5) 3%.

It is important to note that all of
the enemies cited above except
those in category number two are
internal in nature, and they add up
to 71% as compared to 29% for the
external threats. President McKay
was not a prophet of doom, but an
optimistic and hopeful leader who
loved life on this earth. He recog-
nized and explained that the great-
est dangers facing an individual's
true welfare are within himself— not
from without. Apparently, he felt
it was much more important for
individuals to correct self than to
correct others; to be concerned
about what one needs to do to self
as against what one needs to do to
others. This is in strong support of
the conclusion that as a prophet, a
large part of his concern was in
calling members of the Church to
repent.

President McKay loved the youth
of the Church. He paid them great
tributes and looked upon them as
children of destiny. He ascribed
the level of spirituality in the wards
of the Church to the youth— as the
young go, so goes the ward. Many
times he spoke directly to youth
and counseled them to seek a faith
in God and to approach the Lord
with that faith. If they would do
this, he promised four great and

82

immediate blessings would come to
them— gratitude, guidance, confi-
dence, and inspiration. He con-
sistently lent his great energies to
programs in the Church that would
develop character in the youth. It
was his conviction that "flabbiness
of character more than flabbiness
of muscles lies at the root of most
problems facing American youth."
(Era, June 1959, p. 423.)

His main emphasis under the
topic of "self-mastery" focused on
the law of chastity and the Word of
Wisdom. Of all individual sins, he
most consistently warned of the
dangers and destruction associated
with unchastity. On this score he
stood unmoved in the face of ac-
celerated social trends over the
world that condone sexual promis-
cuity and increase tolerance toward
infidelity. His position was clear,
unequivocal, and in full accord with
his predecessors.

"Ever since the organization of
the Church, its leaders have raised
their voices warning that infidelity
and sexual immorality are two
principal evils that threaten to
weaken and to wreck present-day
civilization." (Era, June 1966, p.
477.)

"In this day when modesty is
thrust into the background, and
chastity is considered an outmoded
virtue, I appeal to parents espe-
cially, and to my fellow teachers,
both in and out of the Church, to
teach youth to keep their souls un-
manned and unsullied from this and
other debasing sins, the conse-
quences of which will smite and
haunt them intimately until their
conscience is seared and their
character becomes sordid. A chaste,
not a profligate, life is the source of
virile manhood. The test of true
womanhood comes when the wom-
an stands innocent in the court of
chastity. All qualities are crowned
by this precious virtue of beautiful
womanhood. It is the most vital

In New Zealand, 1958

part of the foundation of a happy
married life and is the source of
strength and perpetuity of the
race." (Era, June 1967, pp. 25-26.)

By example as well as by word
President McKay indicated that the
individual characteristic that at-
tached itself to all other virtues of
the soul was gratitude. His spirit
and expression of gratitude per-
meated all his addresses— it is a con-
tinuous theme. This characteristic
harmonized well with his magnani-
mous character. He felt and ex-
pressed a world view— a universal
brotherhood. In approximately 550
quotations that appear in his con-
ference addresses, 384 were from
the scriptures and 165 were from
non-scriptural sources. A total of
100 individuals other than writers
of the scriptures are quoted in his
discourses. The preponderate ma-
jority (91 to 9) were not members
of the Church.

Standing solidly on his relation-
ship with Christ, whom he quotes
225 times, he reached out toward
truth in many directions and fre-
quently called attention to the wis-
dom and insights of men who saw
and spoke that which would edify
and uplift their fellowmen. This

spirit of fellowship with all the
children of God was apparently felt
by those from all walks of life whom
he visited and who visited with
him. Repeatedly, he indicated that
the source of this love was his faith
in and relationship to Christ— a
faith that he acquired under the
stimulation of a memorable home
life.

The single topic that he empha-
sized in every conference— the need
for a great and universal faith in
Christ— was always prominent in
his thinking as it is expressed in
these addresses. No matter what
problems and needs were being
considered, Christ was invariably
recommended as the only ultimate
solution. "Without Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, the Crucified Christ, the
Risen Lord, traits of the jungle will
hold the human family in bondage."
(Era, December 1965, p. 1099.)
This need to bring Christ into our
individual lives and into our homes
that we might have order in our af-
fairs and an aura of true love sur-
rounding our relationships was the
message delivered by President
David O. McKay— a man with a
message from God for the people
of the world. O

Era, February 1970 83

Speaking at a Brigham Young University preschool workshop for faculty and administrators

The Words of a Prophet

"Today, as always, we need
men and women who have the
courage to think right, to speak
right, and to do right!"

"Love is the highest attribute
of the human soul, and fidelity
is love's noblest offspring."

"To he the worthy son or the
worthy daughter of noble par-
ents is one of the greatest re-
sponsibilities of youth."

"Man's free agency is an eter-
nal principle of progress, and
any form of government that

curtails or inhibits its free exer-
cise is wrong.

"There are things in the world
which we may and should de-
spise, but we can condemn the
evil without hating the man."

"No man can disobey the
ivord of God and not suffer for
so doing. No sin, however se-
cret, can escape retribution."

"Our children are our most
priceless possession. They are
the treasures of eternity. None
of them should be lost."

"Christ is the way, the truth,
the life, the only safe guide to
that haven of peace for which
men and women the wide world
over are earnestly praying."

"The hardest battles of life
are fought within the chambers
of the soul."

"Horizon means something
bounded by observation or ex-
perience— but the horizons with-
in us are limited only by the
boundary of imagination and
dreams."

"In all the problems and per-
plexities of human existence,
Jesus Christ is the one safe guide
to whom we can go for guidance
and comfort."

"While we solicitously call at-
tention to the tragedies in the
stream of human life, let us not
be unmindful of the much
greater group who move steadily
and successfully along, avoiding
the sandbars and rapids of sin-
ful indulgence and spiritual de-
cay, whose noble lives confirm
and increase confidence in the
growing generation."

"True education — the educa-
tion for which the Church stands
— is the application of knowledge
to the development of a noble
and godlike character."

"We are living in what may be
the most epoch-making period of
all time. Scientific discoveries
and inventions, the breaking
down of heretofore approved

84

social and moral standards, the
uprooting of old religious moor-
ings— all give evidence that we
are witnessing one of those tidal
waves of human thought which
periodically sweep over the
world and change the destiny of
the human race."

"We must continue to declare
that the gospel, the glad tidings
of great joy, is the true guide to
mankind; and that men and
women are happiest and most
content who live nearest its
teachings."

"Man's chief concern in life
should not he the acquiring of
gold, or of fame, or of material
possessions. It should not be the
development of physical powers,
nor of intellectual strength. His
aim, the highest in life, should
be the development of a Christ-
like character."

"The worth of man is a good
measuring rod by which we may
judge the rightfulness or the
wrongfulness of a policy or
principle, whether in govern-
ment, in business, or in social
activities."

"The most potent influence in
training youth is to cherish life,
to have increased respect for
human kind, to keep their word
of honor, to love justice, in the
life and personality of the
teacher."

"The true purpose of life is
perfection of humanity through
individual effort, under the

guidance of God's inspiration.
Real life, is response to the best
about us."

"No other success in life can
compensate for failure in the
home."

"Parents are urged to gather
their families around them, and
to instruct them in truth and
righteousness, and in family love
and loyalty, for the home is the
basis of a righteous life, and no
other instrumentality can take
its place nor fulfill its essential
functions. The problems of
these times cannot better be
solved in any other place, by any
other agency, by any other
means, than by love and rever-
ence and righteous teaching and
example at home."

"Choose good companions and
find among them those with
whom you would like to go
through life and eternity."

"Acceptance of the divinity of
Christ's mission and compliance
with the principles of his gospel
give assurance of immortality
and eternal life."

"Truly, the holiest words my
tongue can phrase, and the
noblest thoughts my soul can
claim, are unworthy of mother-
hood. It is a quality more pre-
cious than all others. 'In infancy
I saiv her lovely face. I came to
manhood and find it still the
same. Reverently I breathe her
name, the precious name of
mother.' " *"

Era, February 1970 85

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"The dearest possession a man
has is his family."

"Every member a missionary."

"Many people, have lost the
proper sense of values and have
sought peace and happiness of
wealth at the expense of spiritual
growth."

"A man's character is greater
than intellectual attainments or
social privilege."

"I appreciate with all ray heart
the knowledge of Christ's plan
for the establishment of peace
among mankind. The assurance
of the efficacy of that plan brings
peace to the soul beyond the
power of expression."

"Families who prayerfully pre-
pare and consistently hold their
weekly home evenings, and who
work together during the week
to apply the lessons in their lives,
will be blessed."

"Meditation is one of the most
secret, most sacred doors through
which we pass into the presence
of the Lord."

"Next to the home, the Church
should be a dominant force in
safeguarding our youth."

"What you think about in your
secluded moments will radiate
from you when you stand in the
presence of others."

"A noble and godlike char-
acter is not a thing of favor or

86

chance, but is a natural result
of continued effort and right
thinking, the effect of long-
cherished association with god-
like thoughts."

"To hold the priesthood of
God by divine authority is one
of the greatest gifts that can come
to a man, and worthiness is of
first importance."

"Temple marriage is the be-
ginning of traveling on a road
together — a road that will never
end. Eternal joys may be
glimpsed in the temple. These
joys may be yours — together — if
you will but follow the eternal
principles outlined for you on
your wedding day in the house
of the Lord."

"A chaste life is the source of
virile manhood, the crown of
beautiful womanhood, the con-
tributing source of harmony and
happiness in family life, and the
source of strength and perpetuity
of the race."

"All of us should take pride
in making Mormonism a syno-
nym for trustworthiness, temper-
ance, chastity, honesty, justice."

"He who seeks for happiness
alone seldom finds it, but he
who lives, that is, who loses him-
self to give happiness to others,
finds that a double portion has
come to himself."

"Thankfulness is the begin-
ning of gratitude. Gratitude is
the completion of thankfulness.

Thankfulness may consist merely
of words. Gratitude is shown in

acts.

"i

4It is your duty to teach that
Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of
the world, that Joseph Smith was
a prophet of God."

"Since love is as eternal as life,
the message of the resurrection
is the most comforting, the most
glorious ever given to man; for
when death takes a loved one
from us, we can look into the
open grave and say, 'He is not
here; he is alive.' "

"Selfishness is the root from
which spring most human ills."

"We must continue to declare
that the gospel, the glad tidings
of great joy, is the true guide to
mankind; and that men and
women are happiest and most
content who live nearest its
teachings."

"The strength of any com-
munity consists of and exists in
the men who are pure, clean, up-
right, and straightforward, ready
for the right, and sensitive to
every approach of evil. Let such
ideals be, the standard of citizen-
ship."

"What you think about in
your secluded moments will
radiate from you when you stand
in the presence of others."

"A man's character is greater
than intellectual attainments or
social privilege." O

Police escort hearse from Church Office Building to the Tabernacle for funeral

President Joseph Fielding Smith reads his tribute to President McKay at the funeral

Sermons delivered at the funeral of President David 0. McKay, January 22, 1970

"One Who Loved
His Fellowmen"

President Joseph Fielding Smith

• I honor and revere the name and the
memory of President David O. McKay.

For 60 years I sat by his side in the
presiding councils of the Church. I
came to know him intimately and well,
and I loved him as a man and honored
him as a prophet.

He was a true servant of the Lord —
one who walked uprightly before his
Maker; one who loved his fellowmen;
one who enjoyed life and rejoiced in
the privilege of service that was his;
one who served with an eye single to
the glory of God.

He exemplified perfectly the Old
Testament standard: ". . . what doth
the Lord require of thee, but to do
justly, and to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with thy God?" (Mic. 6:8.)

As stated editorially in the Deseret
News: "If ever a man of modern history
left his world better for having lived
in it, that man was David Oman
McKay.

"Wherever he passed, men lifted
their heads with more hope and cour-
age. Wherever his voice was heard,
there followed greater kindness among

Era, February 1970 87

men, greater tolerance, greater love.
Wherever his influence was felt, man
and God became closer in purpose and
in action."

President McKay was called to the
holy apostleship in April 1906 by my
father, President Joseph F. Smith, who
acted under the inspiration of the
Spirit, and he became one of the great-
est and most inspired leaders of this
dispensation.

In the early days of his ministry the
Brethren used to go out on assignments
two by two. Often President McKay
and I went together. We would travel
as far as we could by train and then
the local brethren would meet us with
a white top or a wagon. Sometimes we
continued on horses or mules or by
ox team. Many times we slept out
under the stars or in such houses or
cabins as were available.

In all his travels President McKay
was a perfect gentleman — always kind
and considerate, more interested in my
comfort than in his own.

I shall miss him greatly. It does not
seem possible that he has left us. But
we know he has gone to a joyous re-
union with his father and mother and
that he is now taking up his labors in
the paradise of God as he begins to
associate anew with his good friends
who preceded him into the realms
ahead, with Stephen L Richards and
J. Reuben Clark, with George Albert
Smith and Heber J. Grant, with Henry
D. Moyle and Joseph F. Smith, and
a host of others.

To my mind two statements made
by the prophet Lehi exemplify the life
of President McKay. He was like a
great river, "continually running into
the fountain of all righteousness," and
he was like a mighty valley, "firm and
steadfast, and immovable in keeping
the commandments of the Lord!"
(1 Ne. 2:9-10.)

I thank God for the life and ministry
of this great man. He was a soul set
apart, a great spirit who came here to
preside in Israel. He did his work well
and has returned clean and perfected
to the realms of light and joyous re-
union. If ever there was a.man to whom
these words of scriptural benediction
might well be said, it was President
McKay:

"Come, ye blessed of my Father, in-
herit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world"
(Matt. 25:34), for ye did all things well
that were entrusted unto thy care.

I pray that the peace of heaven may
rest with Sister McKay and their family
and that the spirit of emulation may
abound in the hearts of all of us for
that mighty prophet whose memory is
hallowed to us this day.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. O

Cod Makes
a Ciant Anions Men

99

Elder Hugh B. Brown

Of the Council of the Twelve

• "Here and there, and now and then,
God makes a giant among men." Presi-
dent McKay was a symbol of moral
strength to the people of many nations.
His life was an inspiration, his memory
a benediction.

He was a man who was tall in
character as well as physically. He
stood out, head and shoulders, above
the crowd — a measuring standard for
manhood. He was known for his
largeness of spirit and the grace with
which he lived.

The "God-image" quality of Presi-
dent McKay's nature was the root of
his dignity. Those who listened to him
felt there was something finer in the
man than anything that he said.

When a great man dies, for years
the light he leaves behind him lies on
the paths of men. The love, the teach-
ings, the life of President McKay have
been an inspiration and a proud influ-
ence for good in the world.

As Robert Louis Stevenson said, and
President McKay often liked to quote
this: "He has achieved success who
has lived well, laughed often, and
loved much, who has gained the respect
of intelligent men and the love of
little children, who has filled his niche
and accomplished his task, who has
left the world better than he found
it."

President McKay has done that. He
had the ability to inspire all whose
lives he touched.

A noted newspaper columnist wrote
of him: "President McKay is a man
with a strong, friendly face, a coura-
geous smile, an amazing memory, and
a deep understanding of his fellow-
men. ... I have met many of the
religious leaders of the world but
none with a more contagious humor,
practical good sense and homespun
philosophy."

People are impressed by convictions
and earnestness, and the dignity and
simplicity that go along with being
honest. Religion gets into the blood
atmospherically.

We believe that the teachings of
Jesus Christ are not primarily theologi-
cal dogma, but a moral idea. His
kingdom is not so much a theory to be
believed as a goal to be sought. The
vision that you glorify in your mind,
the ideal that you enthrone in your

heart, that you will become.

President McKay has lived as nearly
as it is humanly possible for any man
to live a Christ-like life. He found
that the answer to the yearnings of
the human heart for fullness lies in
living outside oneself by love. He
proved the truth of Christ's paradoxical
saying, "He that loseth his life for my
sake shall find it." (Matt. 10:39.) He
was a true servant of the Lord, one who
lived as he taught.

He was aware that there are capaci-
ties and powers within us beyond
comprehension. Our faith can bring
us the wisdom to know what to do,
and the strength to do it.

Leadership denotes followship. No
real leader finds it necessary to remind
others that he is the leader. He must
so conduct himself as to inspire con-
fidence. This age is calling for
leadership.

I would like to share with you some-
thing that President McKay once said:

"If even the simplest principles of
the Savior's teachings had been ob-
served, history would have been
changed. . . . The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints accepts as
literally true the words of Jesus: 'I am
come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abun-
dantly.' (John 10:10.) We believe,
however, that this abundant life is
obtained not only from spiritual ex-
altation, but also by the application to
daily life of the principles that Jesus
taught.

"These principles are few and simple
and may, if desired, be applied by
every normal person. The first of these,
and the foundation upon which a true
Christian society is built, is: 'Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind.' " (Mark 12:30.)

He emphasized the latter part of that.
He loved God with all his soul, but he
loved him with all his mind, too, and
because of that interpretation of the
meaning of the scripture, he spent a
lifetime improving his mind, reaching
up, looking out, lifting up, and thus he
blessed all who met him.

General Omar Bradley spoke truly
when he said, "With the monstrous
weapons man already has, humanity is
in danger of being trapped in this

88

world by its moral adolescence. Our
knowledge of science has clearly out-
stripped our capacity to control it. (We
have too many men of science — too few
men of God.) We have grasped the
mystery of the atom and rejected the
Sermon on the Mount. Man is stum-
bling blindly through a spiritual dark-
ness while toying with the precarious
secrets of life and death. The world
has achieved brilliance without wis-
dom, power without conscience. Ours
is a world of nuclear giants and ethical
infants."

We thank the Lord for leaders such
as President McKay who help us to
keep a true sense of values, to realize
and act upon the revealed fact that
man is a child of God: that, as the
apostle Paul said, we are "joint-heirs
with Christ." (Rom. 8:17.)

Dr. James E. Talmage, who for many
years was associated with President
McKay in the Council of the Twelve,
sums up a discussion of the creation of
the universe as follows:

"What is man in this boundless
setting of sublime splendor? I answer
you: Potentially now, actually to be.
He is greater and grander, more pre-
cious in the arithmetic of God, than all
the planets and suns of space. For him
they were created: they are his handi-
work: man is his son. In this world,
man is given dominion over a few
things. It is his privilege to achieve
supremacy over many things.

'The heavens declare the glory of
God,' said the Psalmist, 'And the
firmament showeth his handiwork.'
Incomprehensibly grand as are the
physical creations of the earth and
space, they have been brought into
existence as a means to an end, neces-
sary to the realization of the supreme
purpose, which in the words of the
creator himself is thus declared: 'This
is my work and my glory — to bring to
pass the immortality and eternal life
of man.' "

But now, after quoting the poets,
historians, scientists, and philosophers,
and others, there is really only one
source from which we get our inspira-
tion when thinking of the meaning
and purpose of life and death. That
source is the holy scriptures. In First
Corinthians we read: "If in this life
only we have hope in Christ, we are of
all men most miserable. But now is
Christ risen from the dead, and become
the firstfruits of them that slept. For
since by man came death, by man came
also the resurrection of the dead. For
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive." (1 Cor. 15:19-
22.)

And again in the same chapter,
"There are also celestial bodies, and
bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the

Era, February 1970 89

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celestial is one, and the glory of the
terrestrial is another. There is one
glory of the sun, and another glory of
the moon, and another glory of the
stars: for one star differeth from an-
other star in glory. So also is the resur-
rection of the dead. . . ," (1 Cor.
15:40-42.)

"So when this corruptible shall have
put on incorruption, and this mortal
shall have put on immortality, then
shall be brought to pass the saying that
is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory.

"O death, where is thy sting? O
grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor.
15:54-55.)

There is nothing more inspiring than
that account given in the four Gospels,
where disciples, including some women,
went to the sepulchre. You will re-
member, Peter and John ran to the
sepulchre when they were told that
Christ had been taken away. Peter was
more impetuous; John more fleet of
foot; but Peter ran into the sepulchre
and saw that the body of Christ was
not there. The linen clothes had been
laid aside.

Mary Magdalene stood without,
weeping. Then she looked in the tomb
and saw two angels in white, who said
to her, "Woman, why weepest thou?"

She said, ". . . they have taken away
my Lord, and I know not where they
have laid him."

And then as she stepped back she
became aware of the presence of some-
one. Her head was bowed; her heart
was heavy. She did not dare to raise
her eyes, and looked only at the feet
and ankles of the person who stood
there.

He said to her, "Woman, why weep-
est thou? whom seekest thou?" She said,
"If thou hast borne him hence, tell me
. . . and I will take him away."

And then the Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ said to her, "Mary." And there
was a complete change in her whole
being as she heard her name spoken.
She became aware of the fact that the
living Christ had addressed her and
called her by name. She raised from
agony to ecstasy and would have em-
braced him but he forbade her and told
her to go and tell the brethren: "I
ascend unto my Father, and your
Father; and to my God, and your God."
And she went. (See John 20.)

It was difficult for them to under-
stand the truth of what she said. Even
these who had been closest to him
through his life could not comprehend
the true meaning of the resurrection.
Then he came to them in that upper
room. Ten of them were present. They
fell back, afrighted. And he said, "Why
are you troubled? ... it is I myself:
handle me, and see, for a spirit has

90

not flesh and bones, as you see me
have." (See Luke 24:37-39.) It was an
inspiring occasion, but even then they
needed more to fully convince them.

And at a later date, 11 of them met
again. Thomas was present this time,
Thomas who had said, "I will not be-
lieve unless I see the prints in his hands
and feet." While they were there
meditating, He appeared, even though
the doors and windows were closed.
And he said to Thomas, ". . . reach
hither thy hand, and thrust it into
my side. . . ."

And Thomas said, "My Lord and my
God." (See John 20:25-28.)

He met with them on various occa-
sions, and with 500 of the brethren on
one occasion. He met them at the Sea
of Tiberias, and then he went out near
Bethany; a number of his followers
were with him, and he was taken up in
a cloud and ascended into heaven.
There were angels present, and they
said to those who were there: "Ye men
of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up
into heaven? this same Jesus, which is
taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as ye have
seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11.)

It is because of this promise that we
bear our witness to the world that the
second coming of Christ is imminent.
We know not when — it has not been
revealed — but we are sure that it will
come.

May God's blessings be with us and
may we do everything in our power to
hasten the day when universal peace
will be established, when the gospel
will be understood, when the Son of
God, the Prince of Peace, will come
and rule and reign. When that time
comes, David O. McKay will be among
those who will be with the Master and
will greet us, if we can prepare our-
selves to be worthy to see him again.

God bless you, my brethren and
sisters, all present and all who are
listening, that peace may enter your
hearts and from there radiate to all
the communities where you live. May
the peace which Christ promised to
the world finally come, and it will
come if more men will emulate the
wonderful example of our beloved
President.

The Lord bless you, Sister McKay,
and your family, and may you have
that peace of which Jesus spoke when
he said, "Peace I leave with you, my
peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your
heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid." "In my Father's house are
many mansions: if it were not so I
would have told you." (John 14:27, 2.)

May his peace and blessings be with
all of us, I pray in the name of Jesus
Christ. Amen. O

'A True Exemplar
of the Life of Christ

President N. Eldon Tanner
Second Counselor in the First Presidency

• We have met here today as an ex-
pression of our love and respect for our
departed, illustrious, devoted, and be-
loved leader, David O. McKay — a
prophet of God — and to his devoted
wife and family.

It is a real honor and a humbling
experience indeed to be asked by the
family to speak at the funeral of their
husband, father, grandfather, and
brother, who was loved, respected, and
adored by every one of them.

As I stand before you on this most
solemn occasion, I feel so inadequate
in trying to express my feelings, and
humbly pray that the spirit and bless-
ings of the Lord will attend each and
every one of us and that what I may
say might be of some comfort and
solace to the family and encouragement
to those who are paying homage to this
great man.

He has spent his whole life in the
service of his Lord and Savior and of
his fellowmen. It has been a signal
honor, privilege, and blessing and a
most rewarding experience for me to
have been called by the prophet as one
of his counselors, and for six glorious
years to sit in council with him, to feel
his great spirit, and to have been taught
and inspired by the Lord's anointed.
I have continually prayed and shall
continue to pray and strive to be
worthy of this rare and wonderful
opportunity and blessing, which is be-
yond compare.

I wish to express my appreciation for
the opportunity I have had of becom-
ing so well acquainted with his sweet
and devoted wife, Emma Ray, whom I
have always loved and respected, and
also for the close and pleasant associa-
tion I have had with Lawrence as
superintendent of the Sunday School
and in a business way, and with Ed-
ward, Robert, and with Conway Ash-
ton, and other members of this fine
family whom I have learned to love
and respect.

I should like personally to express
my appreciation to the doctors and
nurses for their true love, devotion,
and kindness in caring for his every
need, and which he appreciated so
much.

After a normal lifetime of service,
he was called at the age of 77 as a
prophet of God to preside over The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. Though he had passed the age

when most men have finished their
mortal life, he was hale, hardy, and
alert, loving life and the challenges
before him. He has presided over the
Church for 19 years.

Under his leadership the Church has
enjoyed unprecedented physical and
spiritual growth. The missionary pro-
gram has made greater progress, and
we have seen more temple building
than ever before. Priesthood programs
and activity have been greatly enlarged,
a successful correlation program in-
augurated, and Regional Representa-
tives of the Twelve have been called to
assist in furthering the Church's world-
wide program. In response to a grow-
ing need for an answer to some of the
social problems confronting us, there
has been greater emphasis on the im-
portance of home and family relation-
ships than at any other time.

His life of outstanding service and
leadership has been acknowledged, and
great tribute expressed, by newspapers,
radio, and television from all over the
continent, and elsewhere in the world,
and by telegrams, letters, and phone
calls from admirers far and near.

As one of the greatest prophets and
leaders of this dispensation, his counsel
has been sought and his influence felt
by leaders in all walks of life, includ-
ing Presidents of the United States. He
was loved and respected and revered
by millions of people who now mourn
his passing.

During his whole life he was a true
examplar of the life of Christ. He fol-
lowed and lived by the two great
comandments which the Lord gave to
the lawyer, who asked him, tempting,
"Master, which is the great command-
ment in the law?

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind.

"This is the first and great com-
mandment.

"And the second is like unto it, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

"On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets." (Matt.
22:36-40.)

I should like to refer to one or two
instances that seem to depict the love
and harmony that existed in his home.
When he was 90 years of age, Sister
McKay, his lovely wife, wrote the
following tribute:

Era, February 1970 91

Scene at the Salt Lake cemetery

"I am very, very proud of my hus-
band. He is just as lovely, just as
courteous, just as polite, just as kind,
just as sweet in our home as he is any-
where else, and I am very proud of
him. And I am very grateful for him.

I cannot see a thing wrong with him.
And I pray that our brethren will try
to follow his example in every way,
shape, and form."

There are two experiences which I
have had, and which touch my heart,
that I should like to repeat to you
today. One morning, shortly after he
had left the hospital following a slight
stroke, I was in his study with him, and
he said: "President Tanner, I had the
sweetest experience last night. About

II o'clock I got up to go to the bath-
room, and had only gone two or three
steps when Emma Ray was by my side,
holding my hand." And I wondered
how this little frail woman could assist
this big man, but as tears came to his
eyes, I knew that she had helped him
through love and consideration for his
well-being.

At another time I had him in his
wheelchair and was wheeling him out
to go to the meeting in the temple. I
just got to the front door when he said,
"Oh, I must kiss Emma Ray good-bye."
Here he was in a wheelchair, on his
way to a meeting, had only been mar-
ried for 65 years, and feeling it impor-
tant that he should kiss his sweet wife
good-bye. I turned his wheelchair
around and wheeled him back through
the hall, through the living room, to
the bedroom, where he kissed Emma
Ray good-bye. Then tears came to my
eyes, and I thought what an example
of love and affection, which, if prac-
ticed in every home, would contribute

greatly to our joy and unity and
progress.

His love of and devotion to the Lord
cannot be questioned. Another experi-
ence I should like to repeat took place
just before I was called into the First
Presidency. We were sitting in a meet-
ing of the First Presidency and Quorum
of the Twelve discussing a very im-
portant matter, trying to determine
what would be in the best interest of
the Church and acceptable to our
Heavenly Father. After the discussion
had gone on for some little time,
President McKay said, "Brethren, I
think this is what the Lord would want
us to do."

All of the brethren, though some
strong views had been stated, realized
that we should do as the President
directed. I turned to a brother by
whom I was sitting and said, "I never
cease to marvel at the wisdom of that
man, the keenness of his mind, how he
can analyze a problem and come up
with the right solution."

He turned to me and said, as he put
his hand on my knee, "You are listen-
ing to a prophet of God." I was
startled and a little chagrined, because
I too knew that we were listening to a
prophet of God, and that his answer
would need to be correct and what the
Lord would want us to do.

He believed, followed, and under-
stood the gospel of Jesus Christ. He
knew and taught that death was just
passing from mortal to immortal exis-
tence to a life hereafter.

A little grandson of mine, eight
years of age, who had leukemia and
understood the seriousness of his con-
dition, paid a great tribute to President
McKay. His teacher had asked the

class to write out what each would like
to be more than anything else. Little
Tommy wrote: "I would like to be
President McKay because he is a
prophet of God. When he dies he will
go to the celestial kingdom, and that
is where I want to go."

Then he finished by saying, "Maybe
I'll get there anyway." Such is the
faith of a little child, and I am sure
his wish has been realized. The Savior
said: "Except ye be converted, and be-
come as little children, ye shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven."
(Matt. 18:3.)

Another little incident I should like
to relate took place as President Mc-
Kay's family were discussing the fact
that he would be given a great welcome
by the prophets and General Authori-
ties who had preceded him, and by his
father, his mother and brothers, and
his many friends. His grandson Mark
spoke up and said, "You know, it would
really be interesting to be in on that
celebration that is going on in heaven
for Papa Dade. Boy! He's really got
it made!"

How fortunate and blessed we are
to know that we are the spirit children
of God, that God lives, and that his
Son Jesus Christ actually came to earth
and gave his life that we might be
resurrected and enjoy immortality and
eternal life. This will make it possible
for every one of us to go back into his
presence if we will but follow the plan
laid down by him.

President McKay has said much on
this subject, and I should like to read
at length some of the things he has
said regarding life and the resurrection.
He quoted John 3:16:

"For God so loved the world, that he
gave his Only Begotten Son, that who-
soever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life."

Then President McKay goes on to
say:

"As Christ lived after death so shall
all men live, each taking his place in
the next world for which he has best
fitted himself. The message of the
resurrection, therefore, is the most com-
forting, the most glorious ever given
to man, for when death takes a loved
one from us, our sorrowing hearts are
assuaged by the hope and the divine
assurance expressed in the words: 'He
is not here; for he is risen.' (Matt.
28:6.) Because our Redeemer lives, so
shall we. I bear you my witness that
he does live, and I know it as I hope
you know that divine truth."

Further quoting from President
McKay:

"Resurrection and spring are happily
associated, not that there is anything
in nature exactly analogous to the
resurrection, but there is so much

92

which suggests the awakening thought.
Like the stillness of death, old winter
has held all vegetable life in his grasp,
but as spring approaches, the tender,
life-giving power of heat and light
compels him to relinquish his grip, and
what seems to have been dead comes
forth in newness of life, refreshed, in-
vigorated, strengthened after a peace-
ful sleep.

"So it is with man. What we call
death, Jesus referred to as sleep. In-
deed, to the Savior of the world there
is no such thing as death — only life —
eternal life. Truly he could say, 'I am
the resurrection, and the life: he that
believeth in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live.' (John 11:25.)

"With this assurance, obedience to
eternal law should be a joy, not a
burden, for life is joy, life is love. It
is disobedience that brings death.
Obedience to Christ and his laws brings
life.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints stands with Peter,
with Paul, with James, and with all the
other apostles who accepted the
resurrection not only as being literally
true, but as the consummation of
Christ's divine mission on earth. Christ
broke the seal of the grave and re-
vealed death as the door to immortality
and eternal life. He is real. He lives.
God help us to believe in him with all
our souls, and to make him real in
our lives."

President McKay then says:

"The important question with each
of us today, as it should be always, is:
How well prepared are we to meet that
eventuality in life, that inescapable
experience called death? One man,
contemplating this, tried to imagine
what we could take with us when the
end came. He wrote:

" 'Supposing today were your last day

on earth,
The last mile of the journey you've

trod;
After all of your struggles, how much

are you worth?
How much can you take home to God?

" 'Don't count as possessions your
silver and gold,

Tomorrow you leave these behind :

And all that is yours to have and to
hold,

Is the service you've rendered man-
kind.' "

President McKay concludes:
"When I first read that, I could not
agree with him, nor do I today, unless
he includes in that rendering of service,
the development of spiritual gifts and
attainments — the character that we
have developed, the virtues which have

been ours through righteous living in
this mortal stage, and the credit of
service to others."

During the months and years in
which he was restricted in his activities,
he carried on, giving leadership to the
Church, and never at any time did I
hear him complain. Last Friday morn-
ing as I called to inquire if he would
like to see his counselors, the nurse
replied that he was not able to see us.
This Friday morning was the first time
in months that he was not up, dressed,
and in his study. He was determined
and valiant to the very end. He was
an inspiration and strength to all of
us. And now he has gone to his great
reward. What a glorious welcome he
will receive from those who have gone
on before him! Winston Churchill's
statement when speaking of the late
King George VI applies so well to our
beloved President:

"He was sustained not only by his

natural buoyancy but by the sincerity
of his Christian faith. During these
last months the King walked with
death as if death were a companion,
an acquaintance whom he recognized
but did not fear. In the end death
came as a friend, and after a happy
day of sunshine and sport. After 'good
night' to those who loved him best, he
fell asleep, and as every man and
woman who strives to fear God and
nothing else in the world may hope
to do."

I wish to bear my witness that God
lives, and that Jesus is the Christ, the
Savior of the world. He has given us
the plan of life and salvation through
his gospel, which, if accepted and lived,
will make it possible for us to enjoy
with our great leader, President David
O. McKay, immortality and eternal
life. May the Lord bless us all to this
end, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen. O

tf

He Lighted the Lamps

of Faith"

President Harold B. Lee

First Counselor in the First Presidency
and President of the Council of the Twelve

• To all of us who have been closely
associated with President McKay, we
have fervently wished that this day
would never come. And so with hearts
filled to overflowing, and with a sense
of gratitude and responsibility, I yield
myself now to the spirit, in the hope
that in these next few moments as we
close this service I might follow along
as the Spirit has guided the brethren
thus far.

I should like to take as something of
a text the ninth Article of Faith: "We
believe all that God has revealed, all
that He does now reveal, and we be-
lieve that He will yet reveal many
great and important things pertaining
to the Kingdom of God."

The distinctive characteristic of the
Church over which President David O.
McKay has presided for nearly nineteen
years as its President is expressed in
that Article of Faith which I have just
read.

Anciently when the church was es-
tablished, it was the apostle Paul who
declared it was "built upon the founda-
tion of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief

corner stone." (Eph. 2:20.) Anchored
by that divine conviction, we have
often heard our beloved leader pray,
"O God, we pray that the channel of
communication will be always open
between thee and us." That his prayer
has been answered has been continual-
ly witnessed by those of us who have
labored close to him and have heard
his profound conviction, "The Lord
has spoken!"

This expression leads us to another
declaration concerning the exalted
position in which he has served. In
the position of President of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
he has been sustained as a prophet, a
seer, and a revelator. A prophet is an
inspired and divinely appointed re-
vealer and interpreter of God's mind
and will. He has held the keys to the
kingdom of God in our day, such as
were given to Peter as the earthly head
of the church in his day, there being
only one man on the earth at a time
holding such keys.

The meaning of the title of seer is
explained in reputable commentaries
and by an ancient prophet. I read

Era, February 1970 93

Scene at Salt Lake cemetery burial site

these to you that you may glimpse the
spiritual stature of this man. You
have been made aware of the outward
evidences of the greatness of this man,
David O. McKay. I would now desire
to give you an insight into that other
dimension of his great soul. The En-
cyclopedia Britannica defines seer as
follows:

"Seers create the expectation of indi-
viduals in mysterious contact with God,
standing in his counsel, knowing his
secrets, whose words therefore should
have absolute authority in times of
crisis."

The prophet Ammon declared:

"And the king said that a seer is
greater than a prophet.

"And Ammon said that a seer is a
revelator and a prophet also; and a gift
which is greater can no man have, ex-
cept he should possess the power of
God, which no man can; yet a man
may have great power given him from
God.

"But a seer can know of things
which are past, and also of things
which are to come, and by them shall
things be revealed, or, rather, shall
secret things be made manifest, and
hidden things shall come to light, and
things which are not known shall be
made known by them, and also things
shall be made known by them which
otherwise could not be known.

"Thus God has provided a means
that man, through faith, might work
mighty miracles; therefore he becom-
eth a great benefit to his fellow beings."
(Mosiah 8:15-18.)

In those words you have dramatically
portrayed the spiritual stature of this
great man of God who has now been
called home to report and to give an

accounting of his earthly stewardship.

Someone has written a summation
that well expresses the feelings of all
of us: "His love was pure and kind.
Though he was gentle, he was firm.
Though he was humble, he was not
without courage. Though he was
forgiving to the truly repentant, he
never condoned sin. Though he had
seen many changes in the standards of
living, and had seen many advance-
ments in science, he never changed any
principles of the gospel. He brought
honor and respect for the Church and
Kingdom of God the world over. He
was honored by all respectable people.
He was genuine. He talked with God.
He was and is a prophet of the Living
God. That man and prophet is David
O. McKay."

His preparation for this mission be-
gan in the premortal world, where
Abraham tells us there were great and
noble ones, from among whom God
said he would make his rulers. To
Abraham the Lord declared, as he did
to Jeremiah, as well as to others, ". . .
thou art of them; thou wast chosen
before thou wast born." (Abr. 3:23.)
There is no doubt in the minds of
thousands who knew the life of David
O. McKay that like Abraham and
Jeremiah and others of the prophets,
David O. McKay was chosen before
he was born.

Joseph Smith, the first prophet of this
dispensation, once explained, "A man
is only a prophet when he is acting
as such." This enlightening declara-
tion doubtless holds true of all proph-
ets, ancient as well as modern men of
God. Very likely they receive their
polishing by the sometimes refining
processes, as Paul declared of the Mas-

ter: "Though he were a Son, yet
learned he obedience by the things
which he suffered." (Heb. 5:8.)

A prophet, then, does not become a
spiritual leader by studying books about
religion, nor does he become one by
attending a theological seminary. One
becomes a prophet, a divinely called
religious leader, by actual spiritual
contacts. He gets his diploma, as it
were, directly from God.

Historically most prophet- leaders
were chosen from humble walks of
life. David O. McKay came of the
pioneer, farmer family. He resided in
a small hamlet known as Huntsville,
nurtured among the hills up Ogden
Canyon, isolated in a Bethlehem-like
community as related to the larger
centers of population. But like others
of those pioneers, he and his family,
while living in log cabins, dreamed of
grand temples of God. Our President
was a mighty instrument through
which God moved to make that dream
come true. During his lifetime as an
apostle and as President of the Church,
most of our holy temples of today have
been constructed. "And by this vision
splendid, he was on his way attended,"
and like Samuel of old, he grew on, and
the Lord was with him, and he "was in
favour both with the Lord, and also
with men." (1 Sam. 2:26.)

President McKay once said, "The
poorest shack in which prevails a
united family is of far greater value to
God and to humanity than any other
riches. In such a home God can work
miracles and will work miracles. Pure
hearts in a pure home are always in
whispering distance of heaven." He
should know, for the home of his child-
hood and the one in which he was the
father and presided were within "whis-
pering distance of heaven."

In the public press and by radio and
television during the last few days the
accomplishments of his life have been
well documented and need not be
further elaborated, but his great love
for people urged him to give impetus to
the Cburch-wide welfare movement,
designed to give aid to the needy and
the unfortunate to be uplifted in the
Lord's own way. And in the beginning
of that movement, I was called to be
close to President McKay, and was
called to his office sometimes not once
but several times, as he directed the
molding of what we call the Welfare
Program of the Church.

As he sensed the decline in family
home life in this and other nations,
he directed the establishment of a
Church-wide family home evening
program, as has been referred to, with
a well-defined program of weekly
religious and moral teachings, an ac-
tivity designed to draw parents and

94

children together. He said, "One of our
most precious possessions in our family
home is the school of human virtues.
Its responsibilities, joys and sorrows,
smiles, tears, hopes and solicitudes
form the chief interests of life."

He was alert to the moral decline
and mounting juvenile delinquency
and the ever-increasing crime wave.
He made it clear to all of us that the
world was in need of a unifying force,
and such an ideal is the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Throughout the whole
Church, in the family home, and in
all Church organizations, these gospel
ideals must be constantly impressed,
to minimize, if possible, these evils in
the world. This has required a lifetime
effort on his part to urge us to inte-
grate all lesson materials for all ages,
and thereby build a solid foundation
of faith, that they become an anchor to
the many who are floundering and in
danger of moral shipwreck.

None of us will ever forget the touch-
stone of his soul, which was the secret
of his nobility, when he declared,
"What you think of Christ will deter-
mine in large measure what you are.
That man is greatest who is most
Christ-like."

As a special witness of our Lord and
Master, he lighted the lamps of faith
of many by the intensity of the fire
within his own soul. His was the sure
word of prophecy that Jesus Christ was
indeed our Savior and our Redeemer
and literal Son of God our Heavenly
Father.

There could be no doubt but that
his calling and election are made sure,
and that he is a worthy recipient of
the highest privileges accorded to those
who have lived the laws of the celes-
tial kingdom while on this earth. If I
were an artist and had been retained
to paint a picture of a prophet of God,
I could choose no more worthy repre-
sentative to stand for a picture of that
prophet, past or present, than our own
beloved President David O. McKay.

Someone remarked, with reference to
his passing, "The world was left poorer
and heaven richer when he passed
away." I would say it differently: "He
left the world richer and heaven more
glorious by the rich treasures he has
brought to each." From one of his
"heart petals," as he called them, on
his ninetieth birthday, when the Gen-
eral Authorities and the family gath-
ered, he gave us this little verse,
addressed in the closing words to one
who is dear and precious to him:

"Family cares came heavy but not a

complaint;
Forty-four children now crown her as

saint;
Companion, counselor, adviser alway,

My wife for eternity, my own Emma

Ray.
You insist that I'm ninety?
My limbs say you are right,
As I hobble along a pitiable sight;
But I shall always feel young
With the gospel that's true,
With loved ones around me, and

friends like you."

As I have witnessed the throng of
people waiting, waiting, almost around
the entire block surrounding the
Church Office Building, for the last
glimpse of their departed leader, I have
repeated to myself: That person who
has lived best is he who in his passing
has taken up most hearts with him.
Amidst the turmoil in all the world,
we lean upon the assurances that the
Lord has given us, that when the devil
shall have power over his own domin-
ion, as he said he would in our day, we
lean upon the promise of our Heavenly
Father that in this day he would reign
in the midst of his saints. (See D&C
1:35-36.)

To you, his beloved family: You bear
one of the greatest family names that
has ever been among all the children
of men on this earth. Teach your
children and your children's children
to the last generation to honor that
name and never defile it, that the
name of the McKay family might be
perpetuated through all time.

And to the Church: Cherish his
memory, you Church members, by liv-
ing in your youth, in your marriage, in
your homes, as nearly to the perfection
that he has demonstrated. He has
been called home. New leadership will
carry on, not to take his place — no one
can take his place — but merely to fill
the vacancy caused by his passing. If
we look to the leadership that God
will place and will follow thereafter as
we have followed President McKay, all
will be right with the world; and in
the words of some, "stick with the old
ship," the kingdom of God, and trust in
Almighty God, and he will bring us
safely through.

There are evidences today of oppres-
sion to the Church and kingdom of
God, but like the apostle Paul we say,
"For we preach not ourselves, but
Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves
your servants for Jesus' sake. . . .

"We are troubled on every side, yet
not distressed; we are perplexed, but
not in despair.

"Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast
down, but not destroyed." (2 Cor. 5;
8-9.)

Along with Job in the midst of his
suffering, we declare, "For I know that
my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the earth:
And though after my skin worms de-
stroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I

see God" (Job 19:25-26), if I am
worthy and hopefully to stand by the
side of this noble leader, whom we
have loved so much in life.

"In my Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would
have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you . . . that where I am, there
ye may be also." (John 14:2-3.) I can
imagine his wanting to say that to us
here today. There are many mansions
in our Father's kingdom beyond this.
"I go to prepare a place for you. . . .
that where I am, there ye may be also.
And whither I go ye know, and the way
ye know." "Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John
1:3-4,27.)

And so as one who bears the responsi-
bility of being a special witness, as was
President McKay, and as we have
come one by one into the Council of
the Twelve, we have been enjoined to
remember that our greatest responsi-
bility is to bear a true witness of the
divine mission of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. And so with all the fervor
of my soul, I join with my fellow mem-
bers of the apostleship. We know, as
President McKay knew, that Jesus
lives, that he is the Redeemer of the
world, and that comfort will come to
you as a family and to you sorrowing
friends, associates in the Church and
out of the Church, to the extent that
you too can receive that divine witness
that Jesus is the Savior of the world,
and that this life is but a schooling to
prepare us for the life beyond this. To
that I bear humble testimony and be-
speak to you, our beloved Sister McKay,
to all of you sons and daughters, grand-
children, you sons-in-law, you daugh-
ters-in-law, and all who have the blood
of the McKay family in your veins,
God grant you peace, and may you
go from here with hearts uplifted,
strengthened with a new resolution to
carry on as you know he would want
you to carry on.

He won't be far away from you,
Sister McKay. He will be waiting. I
think he can't be long without you over
there. He probably knows that you
won't want to be long without him. He
will be waiting. Have no fear. Be of
good peace, and that time will come
and that glorious reunion where time
is no more, where there will be no
tears, no sorrow. All these former
things are done away in Christ. To
that I bear my witness to all who are
present and to all who are listening,
far and near, and may we cling to that
iron rod lest we in an evil moment fall
prey to the wiles of the evil one and
miss the golden opportunities that are
ours if we remain true to the faith, for
which I pray humbly in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Q

Era, February 1970 95

End of an Era

Life

Among

the
Mormons

The stake president,

hi conducting stake conference,

announced that he loould

be the concluding speaker.

"Then," he continued, "after

I give my closing remarks

the choir ivill sing

'Let the Mountains Shout for

Joy.' " He paused, puzzled,

as several persons in

the congregation began to laugh;

then a slow smile started

on his face, and soon the

whole congregation ivas

convulsed with laughter.

— Kathy Peeler son, Provo, Utah

In the mission field
people often ask us, while
we're tracting, if we
are insurance salesmen.
One of my companions,
exasperated at being so
frequently questioned,
finally said, "Yes,
we're with Eternal Life !"
-Elder Elvin Frank Jones,
Texas Mission

'End of an Era" will pay $3 for humorous anecdotes and experiences that relate to the Latter-day Saint way of life. Maximum length 150 words.

The best way I know of

to win an argument is to start by

being in the right.

— Lord Hailsham

Open-minded or
empty-headed — if depends
on ivhether you're
defining yourself or
someone else.

Nagging wife: Wake up!
You're talking in your sleep!
Husband: My goodness, do you
begrudge me those few words?

He that falls in love with himself
will have no rivals.

— Benjamin Franklin

A reckless driver is one who
passes you in spite of all
your car can do.

Each one of us is the architect
of his own fate, and he is
unfortunate indeed who will try
to build himself without the
inspiration of God, without
realizing that he grows from
within, not from without.

— President David 0. McKay

"Doctor, I'm suffering from
a pain in my right leg."
"There's no cure, alas. It's
because of old age," the doctor
replied. "You must be
mistaken, doctor. The left, leg
is as old as the right,
and it doesn't hurt at /all!"

Fireworks at Dawn
By Maureen Cannon

Our father, barricaded

Behind the headlines, is

Each morning whoUy shaded

From view except for his

Two hands which grasp the pages,

White-knuckled, while he rages.

It hardly seems the time for me to mutter

"I wonder, darling, woidd you pass the butter?"

On days when Ships of State are plainly rudderless,

I'd better reach my own. Or else go butter-less.

96 Era, February 1970

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college kids?

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Come summer, youth 12 through 20
from all over the nation make the
summer scene at BYU. In fact they
make the place hop! Hop with art,
music, debate, publications, speed
reading, broadcasting, and theatri-
cal fun, with boys' sports and sur-
vival aventures, with girls' personal
development programs.

It's all part of BYU's 1970 Summer
Youth Programs. Programs geared
to fire kids up ... to develop their
aesthetic and leadership skills . . .
to strengthen their spiritual base . . .
to move them now into new areas
of personal achievement — in an
unexcelled LDS environment.

Take your pick of these thirteen
never-to-be-forgotten summer
youth programs at BYU:

BYU YOUTH ACADEMY

(Personal Development for Girls)

June 15-26, June 29 - July 10,
July 13-24, July 25-31

THEATRE WORKSHOP

(Drama)
June 15- July 17

SPORTS ADVENTURE FOR BOYS

June 15-26, June 29 -July 10

BYU YOUTH ACADEMY —

THINDERELLA

(Personal Development for Overweight Girls)

June 15- July 24

ART WORKSHOP

June 15-26

SURVIVAL ADVENTURE
FOR BOYS

June 18-27, June 27 - July 6,
July 23 - August 1 , August 1 -1 0

COLLEGE PREPARATION
WORKSHOP

June 22-July 10, July 27-August 14
ARCHAEOLOGY CAMP

June 29- July 17

COMPUTER WORKSHOP

July 6-10

HIGH SCHOOL FORENSICS

WORKSHOP

(Debate and Speech)

July 20-31

SUMMER MUSIC CAMP

July 27-August 8

BROADCASTING INSTITUTE

(Radio / TV)

August 3-7

HIGH SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS

WORKSHOP

(Journalism)
August 10-14

Write:
SPECIAL COURSES AND CONFERENCES

242-E HRCB

Brigham Young University

Provo, Utah 84601

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